Proud Day

Today, I will sit among hundreds of other parents watching my daughter receive her degree from Monmouth University. Not

having accomplished that same goal, I am beaming with pride. A few of you who know of this, have congratulated ME and I

realize that this is one of our cultures usual response to this accomplishment but in reality, all the accolades should to go

to my daughter Kristen.

It was her hard work and determination that have gotten her to this achievement and she deserves all the praise that she can

handle.

For those of you who don't know her...she is a shy, petite 4'10",..ok, mabye 4'10 1/2"...quiet person...well,

sometimes....but, as with all children, I have a special story that I just have to tell you, now that you know her

stature.....of course she will probably give me one of those "I can't believe you told this story" looks...anyway..we were at

the movies one day....just sitting there, enjoying the flick..don't remember what it was but it must have been good cause we

were intently watching it....as we sat there, a group of teenagers, maybe 6 in all, were 2 rows behind us, talking...loudly

enough for people to look, but not say anything...now, I was letting it go, figuring they would stop, sometime soon...well,

they didn't, and I could see it was starting to get to Kris cause she looked back more than once....so, it continued for a

few minutes...and I was getting to the point where I was going to go over to them and suggest that it would be in their best

interest to quiet down....but before I could, my quiet, shy, reserved daughter, get's up, turns around and says to them '

"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP"...does the phrase, "knocked me over with a feather"...mean anything...well, as you can

imagine...I KNEW it was time to get someone to remove these kids from the theater, for their own safety.....from that little

frame came the authority of a person more fitting my size 6'2"...was I proud, hell yeah...not so much for what was said, but

from how it was said....basically it was "Don't fuck with me"...

So I sit today, with hundreds of other parents, knowing that my little shy, petite child, will go out into the world having

all the knowledge that has been imparted to her from one of the finest Universities in NJ, and for all the hours she has

spent in lecture halls and all the papers she has written, and all the hours studying....and she will say to the

world.....you guessed it....."DON'T FUCK WITH ME I'M A COLLEGE GRADUATE"...and I say to her......i AM PROUD OF YOU