To extend one's name

I attended my graduation march the day before yesterday and it wasn't incredibly special. In fact, I didn't need to go because grad students have that option. I would have to agree with my father when he said that graduation isn't really for students but for parents/ guardians/ relatives. Parents feel a sense of accomplishment when they see their son/ daughter go up the stage and receive his/ her diploma...maybe I'll experience that same feeling when my 3-month old son graduates from college in, what, I dunno, 20 years?

So this is how having a comma and a few letters added to my name feels. Nothing. No spectacular feeling of self-admiration. It actually feels burdensome, because I now feel that I am compelled, pressured....mandated (I had to borrow that word from Frasier even when it's inappropriate!) to acquire a PhD, which will eventually lead to the never-ending pursuit of all the possible letters that I can include in my name. That's the academe. Anyway, this...this angle of my vanity is reversible. I've been praying for humility and selflessness...I guess I haven't been praying that hard. My husband and I already have a son and I'm sure we'll have a few more children in the future. It's no longer about me...it's about them. If every letter added to my name increases my children's chances of becoming happy and contented in their adulthood, then I'd be more than willing to be on the rack.