Do I love my daughter? More than there are words to
describe. Do I think she is awesome even when she trips over nothing in the
hallway, sings WAY off-key, makes up songs that have words like ‘underpants’ &
‘armpits’ weaved into the lyrics, and thinks her Seinfeld Elaine dancing is worthy of a 10 from Len? No doubt.
She’s 5. It is my job to encourage her to do whatever she
wants, however she wants and tell her that she is doing great – because she is
TRYING. That’s all any parent can ask from his/her kiddo at this stage. Yes,
some people have ‘phenom’ kids who are already doing standing back flips or
reading at a 3rd grade level. I get psyched when Ellie can do a somersault
without ending up stuck on her head and when she can sound out the word ‘dog’
with me in a Level 1 book. Because I am her mother. I am proud of each and everything she does. I
celebrate those moments with her, and I praise her for her efforts and her
little ‘wins.’ I think she is the most amazing child that has ever existed on
planet earth… Even though I know the chances of that being the reality is
pretty slim.
She has learned a lot in her short time in the world, and I
am proud of her and know that she is ready to take the next step and start Kindergarten
this fall. But a graduation ceremony from preschool? Is that really necessary? A cute little certificate would be appropriate... And if it came with a free milkshake with an extra cherry on top from Chick-Fil-A, she might even be excited about it.
Not only did I NOT march in a ‘graduation’ processional from preschool, I didn’t ‘graduate’
from Kindergarten. Or 6th grade. Or junior high school. I DID
graduate from high school, college, and a master’s program. Those pieces of
paper hold currency in the real world. I remember getting them; I remember
earning them. Ellie doesn’t remember what she did in school last Friday.
A graduation is intended to be the culmination of a long journey;
the completion of a course
of study… She is awesome at her A, B, C’s,
her numbers, AND she colors in between the lines. Those things are great; I am
delighted that she can do them. But I do not want her to think that she is
entitled to that level of attention from everyone for, well, not much.
This is not a knock on parents, teachers, administrators,
etc. who enjoy preschool graduations. To each his own. But in my mind, this kind
of pomp & circumstance cheapens the major milestone celebrations that I want
to cherish along this journey with her. And, quite frankly, adults don't have the attention span long enough to get through most graduation ceremonies - do we really think 4 & 5 year olds do?!
…And please don’t get me started on participation trophies.
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