When we were kids, my friends and I moved through an endless series of events without any real sense of time passing. Yes, I completed kindergarten, then elementary school, and middle school. It’s true that I went through a “graduation” ceremony from a summer enrichment program, but even that seemed to lack meaning given that I went back the next year as a “Grad I.” Not until high school did I really notice that when one graduates, one leaves behind friends, mentors, and the lifestyle that up until then defined the self.
My kids have already experienced several of these deliberate acknowledgments of the passage of time and the gaining of maturity. Both had a preschool graduation ceremony, and given that they attended the same preschool for 5 years each, I suppose there was importance in their saying goodbye to friends and teachers they’d known so long. But then there was a ceremony following Kindergarten, and now, Jamie has completed a 5th grade graduation. The ceremony included a number of brief speeches, an awards ceremony, a 4 song choral and recorder performance by the 5th graders, and a slide show of which I was unfortunately not aware (and therefore Jamie’s baby vs. now photos were not included). Following all of that, each “graduate” got a certificate of completion along with cheers from parents and grandparents.
It was all too much for me. Not only did I feel bad for Jamie not having his photos included, but this attention to every little life passage seemed overdone. It seems that these ceremonies might lead to pressuring the kids too early towards attention to the goals of getting good grades, high achievement in sports, participating in numerous clubs, and eventually, getting into a good school in order to have a better future life. When I was a kid, the major aspect that was clearly different about my life was my ability to live in the moment without excessive concern for the future. I want that for my kids. I miss that for myself.
Recent Comments