My oldest son graduates high school today. After a long journey, he’s the first of my wife’s and my three kids that is moving on. It’s a big day, and we have almost all our family in town to watch the first of our next generation becoming an adult.

I’m on vacation from work, but I wanted to post this and reflect a little on this transition. I remember my graduation, almost as an anti-climax since school essentially ended a few days prior, and I was already looking forward to leaving my house, heading to college and moving on with my own life, separate from my family’s.

I think my son is feeling a lot of that. School ended earlier for him, he’s independent like I was, often away from our house, enjoying the freedom of a car. Like me, he’ll graduate before he’s 18, but he’ll be an adult in a little over a week and then truly responsible for himself. He’s heading to college, though close to home, at UC-Denver, in downtown Denver.

For me it was a time of huge optimism. I was excited about getting to college, learning a few things and then embarking on a career. I suspect it’s similar to my son, and I hope it is. He’s more compassionate and considerate of the world than I was, volunteering his time to help others and hoping to change the world for the better. I just wanted to make money.

It’s inspiring, and exciting to think about him moving on, and I have hope for the next generation to see someone that is more idealistic, and wants to do the right thing to help others. To make this world a better place and not just advance his own interests. I had worried that most of his generation would embrace consumerism, and they might, but he doesn’t and realizes there is more to life.

He’s technologically savvy, but he’s not a geek. He’s a linguist and hoping to be a teacher some day. I wish him luck in his journey and hope he enjoys it.