Sweet, exhausted, resilient mamas, we did it! We survived what might be the hardest school year in living memory. As far as I’m concerned, we all deserve a giant graduation party. So imagine with me if you will that that is where we are, and that I am your slightly disheveled commencement speaker, iced coffee in hand, with a promise to keep things short so we can get to the celebrating.
I know that everyone’s had different experiences this school year, but whether you are a charter school, private school, or public school mama, an experienced homeschooling mama, a suddenly-became-a-homeschooling mama, or a might-as-well-have-been-homeschooling-thanks-to-how-many-weeks-of-virtual-school-you-did mama, this school year surely threw you at least a few curve balls.
We all deserve a moment to acknowledge making it through some really hard work this year and the resilience that built.
I used to think graduation and promotion ceremonies for younger grades were cute but a little silly. I thought high school graduation was the only one that counted, when you had really earned it! But then… my son’s kindergarten graduation was cancelled last year thanks to, well, EVERYTHING being cancelled last year, and as things open back up this year it dawned on me that he won’t get that adorable little graduation back. And the thought of it kept re-breaking my heart until my husband suggested we just have our own graduation ceremony this year, with handmade diplomas and ice cream sundaes after, and then he mentioned that he thought I deserved one too. And you know what? I agreed with him.
We all deserve a second to throw our hats in the air and decide we are looking forward to a new big step.
What comes next? It won’t require less work (that’s the tricky thing about graduations, right? It makes it sound like an end but it’s actually a beginning and all the really hard new stuff that comes with it). But I am choosing to have faith that it will be different and exciting and that it can be better than what came before.
Our kids still managed to learn this school year as rules and regulations changed, plans were cancelled, parents were stressed, and people were lost. We pushed on through the frustration, the grief, the exhaustion and we made it to summer.
We all deserve a pat on the back and whatever rest we can find. We all deserve giant ice cream sundaes (or iced coffees or frozen margaritas or whatever your cool, summer treat of choice may be)! You did it mama. Give your kids a squeeze and take a moment to celebrate!
It is so true! I definitely need a graduation ceremony for all that we’ve done this year!