Tonight I actually stopped at our rural mailbox and took the mail out.

I remember 32 years ago when getting the mail was such a big treat.  My husband and I had no credit history, no accounts, didn't live anywhere long enough to have associations - we were blissfully free of the mail assault.  The only mail we got was mail we wanted.

Now, 99% of the mail we get is nearly or completely unnecessary.  We pay and monitor accounts online but keep getting paper statements since most online statements make NO sense; we need the paper for clarification but don't open them unless there is an issue.  As for advertisements for goods and services, we shop when we want, where we want, by word-of-mouth, and buy only what we need.  Little by little, we began to disregard the mail completely.  (Anyone out there listening? - we are baby boomers and WE PAY NO ATTENTION TO OUR MAIL!!!)  People call to see if we have received this or that.  "Let me check; I don't bring in the mail."  Hah!  No one brings in the mail!!  The other day our oversize rural mailbox was so full that one piece was in the weeds; I think I heard crickets too, it is so peaceful and natural around our mailbox.  It was a rejection for a job at Lowe's for our son - no position available.  How appropriate....

My son is the prompt for this post.  Today he gleefully announced that he has ridden the school bus for the very last time.  He's right.  He has an extended fun day tomorrow and will drive to school, with exams on Thursday and Friday - his last day - so limited and busless days there too.  And that is all there is to his high school years, except parties, the graduation ceremony, diploma, parties, and the long goodbye of the summer, punctuated by parties.  We are hoping there will be paid employment too; time will tell.  (He is going to Michigan Tech in August, Computer Science/English Literature, dabbling in music for fun - accepted?  last September, his first choice of schools.)

So today's impetuous stop at the mailbox presented a letter addressed, "TO THE PARENTS OF..." and that was interesting.  I opened it fully expecting to find that our son would not be graduating because of a four year library fine in the gazillions.  We know his cap and gown is being expedited to our residence since he did not bother to order it IN NOVEMBER.  We suspect there is no yearbook on order either, oh dear.  We know his photo will be in the yearbook though - that was on us to arrange.  But no, the letter read:

     Kevin will be receiving recognition at the Saline High School Senior Awards Program.  While many students are aware of the awards they will receive, some awards and scholarships may not be announced until the evening of the program.  We strongly encourage attendance for this awards program.

WHAT?  There might be some award for our son who almost certainly did not GPA for even the second or B honor roll?  Is this some sort of joke?  Yes, we know you all love him - you said so at conferences in the fall, and essentially in every year he has been in the district since grade three.  You have said almost the same thing, all of you.  "Intrinsically motivated to learn, not motivated by grades."  Some of you have gone so far as to say he is brilliant, bored to tears, and needs to just be done with high school so he can experience the challenges that might motivate him.  Wouldn't those be YOUR failures, not his?  Just a thought.  None of you have denied that he has learned, perhaps more than any other of your students, and has been a delightful and insightful contributor in the classroom.  Some of you have admitted he is among the most completely intellectual AND well-balanced students you have ever taught.  It has been a pleasure hearing those things.  It has been less of a pleasure seeing the grades his non-compliance has wrought.  Particularly the failing grade this past quarter from you, his psychology teacher!  You said he was likely to get a 5 on the AP test - are there no allowances in high school for superior learning WITH non-conformance?  Sometimes life just sucks!

Unless you are Kevin....  In his blissfully happy world, from the day he was born to present, life has been an adventure without worries.  He is the most self-actualized individual I have ever personally known.  As a parent, it has been an exercise in futility to get him to care about anything he does not care about.  Did Einstein fail math? - so the rumor goes.  Did Bill Gates drop out of Harvard? - I think so.  Will Kevin live in a cardboard box under a bridge? - I hope not...

Is this letter a tease?  Is this some sort of form letter sent out to the entire student body so there is a good audience to applaud the chosen few?  Or does our son stand a chance at getting some sort of award or scholarship?  Of course we will attend.  I said he should shave and try to look nice.  He said he would wear a suit.  The way he thinks, his suit will be in his honor or for his friends who will certainly be winning awards.  He has always hung out with the "right" (nerd) crowd.  You can be proud for yourself and/or proud of your friends.  As parents, we are proud of all of the kids graduating this year.  It will be a great night with lots of applause, no matter who is on stage.