There’s an old song that starts out “I love’a parade!” Well, I don’t. Parades fall into the category of “Been There Done That.” If I see a parade once every five years, I’m good.
Friday night was the finale to marching band parade season. Brien has been in band since middle school, I have been to every local holiday parade for the past 7 years meaning that I have seen 35 parades in 7 years. I don’t know why EVERY town in the county must have their own Holiday Parade. Can’t we just all get along and parade together? I wasn’t all that thrilled about going, but Brien is a senior and this is his last marching season and all of those other obligatory reasons a mom just has to do what a mom has to do. It a nippy cool evening, and if you had to go to a parade, it was a great night for it.
Parades in some parts of the country might mean floats and balloons and clowns and that Macy’s kind of thing. In Alamance County, North Carolina, a parade means little cheerleading dance squads with 3 years old in costumes, only appreciated by pedophiles, doing choreography stolen from Madonna; Hillbilly Shriners, classic cars, a few High School marching bands and horses. Lots and lots of horses.
Oh look. A brown horse, And a black horse, And a brown and black horse, And a white horse, And a gray horse, And a white and gray horse, And a big horse, And a little horse, And a very little horse. Old men on horses, old ladies on horses, fat old ladies on horses. Poor horses! Ladies in ruffled dresses on horses, prom queens on horses, Cowboys for Christ on horses (I’m not making that one up), bankers and realtors on horses. Even Chihuahuas on horses. I think I’ve just written a Dr. Suess book.
There are many things I’m going to miss about life with Brien when he goes to college next year and embarks on the next phase of his life. He is an exceptional young man, but parades are not one of them. The funny thing is, that I was completely unprepared for the water works that erupted when he marched by. He is looking more and more grown-up every day and I’m really having a hard time with how quickly the time has gone. He is not a little boy anymore and those apron strings are stretched taut and close to breaking.
4 comments:
Can you believe we are old enough to have children this age? This is so ultra crazy. Poor Holley, the waterworks start in kindergarten and never really end do they? Even when they have grown up, aren't as cute as they used to be and are a lot of times downright obnoxious, the waterworks still come.
Congrats Brien!
My brother always said that parades are for people who want attention... except for the band members of course. What would a parade be without the band? Pretty dang boring as well as football games without the band in my opinion. (don't tell Gary.) How did the SATs go?
You forgot the 2nd greatest thing about the parade, Sweetie!! (the greatest being seeing Brien again).
I was with you!!!! Oh, yeah! duh!
The other thing I would say is to leave the poor horses alone--they need to walk (no one else but you will understand..hee hee). After all it's a horse....OF COURSE! Sorry, maybe I need to walk. xoxox
man, it sure does go buy fast! Peyton is already starting to not be interested in toys. It makes me so sad, I just never thought life would go buy this fast. It seems like the older you get, the faster it goes. I'm sure I'll be falling apart when My kids are seniors.
I still am in shock that brien is a senior, I still think of him as a little boy.
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