Updated: 07/08/2009 9:21 AM KSTP.com | Print Story
By: Art Barron

BARRON: Graduation day anxiety as my daughter has her big night

The ex-wife, her husband, and their three year old arrive in town from their long Omaha drive, my mom arrives by air in from California, and my sons and I prepare for the big day. Graduation gifts are a plenty. My significant other gets up early in the morning to get flowers, balloons, a card and money to greet Olivia when she awakes in the morning.  Later in the day cards and gifts come from her grandma, her mom, brothers and KSTP-TV co-anchor Vineeta Sawkar.

Despite this big day marking an accomplishment in education, Olivia is a bundle of emotions, which is expected. Graduating is emotional as it is, now factor in the family dynamics and it can be a bit overwhelming. Olivia knows she is growing up, she won't have to hear me tell her to get to school on time, or, if she did her homework. Soon she will be in college and I hope the years of my nagging will pay off.

She and the Edina H.S. class of 2009 graduated during a two hour ceremony Tuesday night at Northrop Auditorium on the U of M campus. Your eyes tear up, you get a lump in your throat and you realize 18 years have eluded you. All of a sudden you flash back to the day she was born, you know it doesn't seem like that long ago and now she's holding a diploma in her hand.