Graduation is such a significant moment – and yet we never realise it at the time | Adrian Chiles

The parents glow with pride, while the students cringe with embarrassment. Underneath it all is the terrifying awareness of time getting a march on us

I just went to a graduation ceremony. I wasn't the only one. On station platforms at every stop there were graduation groups in evidence, in the spirit of the newlyweds and their families in Larkin's Whitsun Weddings.

Graduation parties are generally three in number. One is young, the other two are older. The older ones will have sore hands from clapping long and hard, as hundreds of soon-not-to-be students file on stage to receive their degrees. There are plenty to get through - in the UK, well over 1m undergraduates and postgraduates are awarded their certificates every year. Parents' eyes will hurt from all the squinting, trying to keep tabs on where loved ones are in the queue, working out when their turn will come.