Everyone can use a celebration now and then
My son finished pre-school this week. His class had a special celebration to culminate the academic year. It was a special moment for him and for us.
Some people would argue that this pseudo-graduation ceremony is not a good idea because it promotes mediocrity. They will argue that having all of the pomp and circumstance dilutes the importance of the traditional graduations at the high school and college levels. These people would continue their argument by saying that to celebrate the end of pre-school, elementary or middle school is just poppycock, as the kids are just doing what they are supposed to do.
All of the points in this argument are wrong. Dead wrong.
As a parent of a child who went through a pre-school celebration, I think it was great that the school did this celebratory activity. For one, it honored the hard work of the children and demonstrated their growth over the last year. Secondly, it was an opportunity for the kids to publicly thank the support they received from their parents and families.
Additionally, the school built the entire year around the theme of being a bucket filler instead of a bucket dipper. And, from what I learned during the ceremony, being a bucket filler is pretty cool.
What gets me about the people who rail against having the celebrations like the one my son participated in, or even the graduations at the lower levels of education, is that I honestly don’t think any of them are parents. Being a parent of a young child changes your perspective. You want to cherish every moment because the kids really do grow up too fast. Time is not on your side, so it’s important to let the kids be little. It’s important to love them. It’s important to tell them you are proud of them.
Sure, there would be opportunities to do this without the celebrations. But it wouldn’t be as much fun. And you know, everyone can use a little celebration in their lives every now and then.
