School started a couple of months ago, and I was thinking last night about how women cry up a storm when their children reach "school age". I never quite understood it. That first day of school is quite traumatic for most young mothers. My gosh---my parents were pretty happy to have a few hours of peace and quiet when I started going to classes.
But I digress. This post is supposed to be about rites of passage. And that first day of school is certainly a signifcant one in the lives of parents and children.
But, there are many different rites of passage, aren't there? I always tended to think that rites of passage were pretty much confined to youth---you know, Bar Mitzvas and engagements and weddings and such.
But ROPs continue throughout our lives.......until that final ROP that we all experience.
There are:
Engagements
Weddings
Childbirth
First Job Interview
First Job
First Time you Got Fired
First Surgery
Death of a Loved One
What are some other ROPs you can think of?
Call these the music, poetry, fact and fiction of a dreamer....Call this LYRICS of LOVE and LORE.
Wonderful write Clint, how about
ReplyDeleteFirst Kiss:
First Book Published:
First Follower on Blogsphere:
First Time Meeting Daniel O Donnell:
Yvonne.
First credit card bill
ReplyDeleteFirst gray hair
First AARP card
A good blog idea, dear husband!
ReplyDeleteAcquiring a driver's license
Buying first car
Moving away from home
Graduating from high school/college
Death of a pet
Getting baptized
Oh I like this!
ReplyDeleteHow about the First Time Son Number 2 Breaks a Bone. (We are now up to 3 times so it's not quite such a big deal;)
Or...:The First Tine One of Your Boys Takes a Girl On A Date. :(
Oh...I need to think of happier firsts....
Great POST!
First time you realize you became your Mother/Father.
ReplyDeletecindy took one of mine - death of a pet.
ReplyDeleteand i liked the driver's licence and moving into your first apt.
how about divorce?
Clint - You are, as my mother wuld have said, "a working wonder" - and that is a good thing. :)
ReplyDeleteHow about:
First grandchild
First grey hair
First time your knees crack/ creak
or
First true belly laugh
First speech you ever gave
First award you ever won
Fun and thought provoking post! And THANKS for your funny comments at Spots and Wrinkles. :)
I cried because I knew they would no longer be just mine - that the school would influence them - that there piers would influence them - and they would get more worldly and I wanted to protect them from it.
ReplyDeleteSandie
Every time I thought of something I looked above and someone else already said it. I love how you give us all something to talk about.
ReplyDeleteSigh... This means I have to THINK!!! How about... Your First Winter South?
ReplyDeleteFirst time... oh wait, I can't say that in public! lol
ReplyDeleteThe first time you drive a tractor down a busy highway with a trailer load of 22 1000 lb bales. Scary but I can now do it. B
ReplyDeleteFirst child!!
ReplyDeleteI probably shouldn't have read the others for they stated a lot of my choices for "first." Nice to know I am in good company however.
ReplyDeleteFirst day of school was huge for me as a child.
Honorable mentioned are
First kiss
First apartment
First paycheck
First drink and first cigarette but what trumps those last two are the last drink and last cigarette.
Fun post.
Arkansas Patti