In the past, I’ve written a special column for the parents of graduating seniors. I didn’t last year, but this year I’ve talked to a number of harried parents who I think could use a little sympathy in Unorganized Territory.
I do wish the very best for the Class of 2013. But they are busy right now making plans for the summer and for the future. It’s an amazing time for them and they don’t need any more advice from caring community members.
It’s different for parents. It’s a happy time for them as well, but bittersweet. Parents are filled with relief that all those battles over homework and curfews are over. They are proud that their child has fulfilled the requirements of graduation and will make a dramatic entry in his or her cap and gown.
But there is also that looming goodbye— the one that every parent dreads from the time their child takes his or her first steps, gets on the bus on the first day of kindergarten, or gets behind the steering wheel for the first time. Graduation is a final rite of passage, one that comes all too soon.
It’s hard to believe that the tiny baby that changed your world could turn into an adult in such a quick time. It’s hard to believe how fast all those years of teacher conferences, spring concerts, sporting events, and last-minute grade concerns flew by.
As my friend Wendy—one of those moms of graduates—said last week, “The days were long, but the years flew by.”
The last few months are the craziest, with the final chaos of invitations and open houses. Parents scramble to make sure they have enough burgers, buns, and balloons for the party. It’s a good thing there is a lot to do—it makes it a bit easier for mom and dad.
At least until the graduate packs up his or her belongings and leaves them to the empty nest.
For those parents, I’m ending with a l onge r- than- usua l quote. I received it from my mom when my first “baby” graduated in 1997. I’ve shared this Erma Bombeck quote for graduation several times now. It still makes me tear up when I read it, but I still find comfort in it. I hope the parents of the Class of 2013 do too.
Children are like kites. You spend a
lifetime trying to get them off the
ground. You run with them until you’re
both breathless – they crash – you add
a longer tail – they hit the rooftop –
you pluck them out of the spout – you
patch and comfort, adjust and teach.
You watch them lifted by the wind and
assure them that someday they’ll fly!
…Finally they are airborne, but they
need more string—you keep letting
it out and with each twist of the ball
of twine, there is a sadness that goes
with the joy, because the kite becomes
more distant and somehow you know
that it won’t be long until that beautiful
creature will snap the lifeline that
bound you together and soar as it was
meant to soar – free and alone.
Erma Bombeck
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