cherub grows up

So, this coming Saturday afternoon, my little Polly is graduating.  So, you may wonder, what does a homeschooling graduation look like.  What do you do?  Possibly the coolest thing about homeschool is, after a mere twelve years of study, you can do whatever the heck you want. 

Some people attend a cap and gown homeschoolers graduation.  Some people do nothing.  Some people have parties in the backyard.  Some people have dances in the backyard.  Some people have a family dinner. 

This is our third graduating person, and we have leaned toward the backyard thingy.  Polly is having a barbecue with 40 or 50 of her closest friends and relatives.  You see, though, I can't quite fathom the graduation of Polly.  Its kind of surreal. 

Here is an interesting little aside.  "Surreal" is actually a back formation of surrealism, which is defined below.  Its kind of a new fangled word, only being around since about the 1940's.  So here is the definition, according to Dictionary.com.  Note that at the end of that reasonably goofy  definition, they add etc.  Like we are supposed to know what that means.

sur·re·al·ism

 [suh-ree-uh-liz-uhm]

–noun ( sometimes initial capital letter ) a style of art and literature developed principally in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc.

"ETC!"  What do you mean, Dictionary.com computer people?  What are we to make of that?  If you can't define something, what are those of us who don't make our living defining things supposed to do?  Et cetera means, literally translated and the rest (of such things).  And the rest of what things?  "Subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects and unexpected juxtaposition  things?"  Those kinds of things?  That category of kinds of things?  I don't think we really have a category of such kinds of things, here, now do we?  The rest of those kind of things?  Make sense, please. 

Back to Polly.  Well, the problem is really that she can't be graduating.  First of all, I can't be old enough to have my third child graduating.  That's just stupid.  Second of all, she is too small.  I mean literally too small.  She is just a little wee bit of a thing and done growing.  At least my other daughters who are graduated were as tall as me, or even taller, such a Scout the amazon girl was.  Is.  At 5'5" Scout-inator towers over me.  And she's uber strong.  But I tower over little Polly.

Don't get me wrong.  Polly is every bit as mature as my other graduates and even better in some places.  But it just can't be.  She drives a car.  Has a job.  Is responsible.  But she can't be getting on with her life.  I didn't sign up for this outrage. 

Wait one sec.  I actually did.  Roots and wings.  She is a beautiful girl.