Grads Just Wanna Have Fun

So, maybe I'm just romanticizing things.
But 22 years removed from my own graduation, I don't recall the level of restrictions that were placed on the graduates and families I saw this week.
Back in the field, I out for a commencement ceremony this week. Keyword: ceremony.
That was at the top of the sign posted at the gate: This is a ceremony, not a celebration. And as such, no balloons, no flowers, no excessive standing, no strollers, no car seats (oh, and small kids needed a ticket, too). Video cameras needed to be lap held.
Now, this is a school that was having its 118th graduation. They still observe many of the rituals that have been around for many of those 118 years, so decorum is needed.
But when seniors were supposed to arrive at 5:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start, there's going to be a certain amount of steam that these 18-year-olds are going to want to vent. Especially on this, the day they've been waiting for for at least eight years (I'm thinking fourth grade is about the time you start wanting your school days to end).
So, as these 700 or so kids waited outside for the OK to march into the "ceremony," a couple of "troublemakers" started a cheer. Nothing mean. Nothing lewd. I think it was just a "What, What!" type of thing that the kids today might say (oh, gawd, did I just say that? I'm old).
Of course, that wasn't going to fly with the authorities figures. They were immediately on the students to be quiet. That it wasn't appropriate. Probably not (they weren't that far from the actual event, and were probably heard inside, where the band had started tuning up).
It was then I realized that this wasn't a day for them -- it was a day for the adults.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that campus security officers came through and searched inside each students' gown -- they guys even got pat downs. I'm guessing they were looking for noisemakers. Of course, every one of those kids was carrying one if they really wanted to use their phone...
Maybe I'm just overreacting. Making much ado about nothing.
Or maybe, just maybe (OK, probably pretty likely) I just feel free to write blogs again, so I'm writing about something that tweaked me a little bit and I thought I'd over share.
Eh, whatever. I'm back -- for now -- and this part of it feels pretty good.