Rites of Passage.......

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?