Tag Archives: graduation

My Daughter’s Graduation from Middle School

This past Friday I attended my daughter’s graduation from middle school. This ceremony was a bit more special than your average graduation. I say this because in most middle schools, the children move on together to high school. But my daughter attended a K-8 school where they are all going separate ways. These kids grew up together since either K-4 or kindergarten and so they had developed a very special bond. I think it’s a huge part of the reason that my daughter had so few problems in middle school. When we arrived at school, we were handed a pamphlet. … Continue reading →

Our Dysfunctional Family

Posted on by

Today we are celebrating Hailey’s graduation and 18th birthday. At no time is it more apparent that we are not a normal family than during these celebrations. We defiantly put the fun in dysfunctional. The party will be at our house, Hailey will be surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, in addition to her core family. I will be there, of course, as will her father. Also in attendance will be her two year old sister and her mother. Hailey’s current stepmother will be there, as will one of her father’s ex girlfriends. My daughter loves these people. No … Continue reading →

Happy Graduation Baby Girl!

Posted on by

Yesterday my daughter graduated from high school. When I got divorced graduation seemed so far away, I was more concerned with who would watch her in the summer and for school holidays. It seemed like forever until I didn’t need a babysitter so I could work. Graduation wasn’t even a thought. The time has flown by. My baby bird is now a young adult. On graduation day and all of Hailey’s special occasions I am so glad her father and I have been able to remember what is important- our daughter. Hailey was able to share her day with both … Continue reading →

Talking to Your Kids about Alcohol Abuse

When I was getting ready to go away to college, my parents sat me down and said something to the effect of “you’re probably going to drink when you’re at college, just do it responsibly.” They didn’t know that I’d already been faced with offers of alcohol and turned them down without hesitation. But then, I wouldn’t consider myself a typical teen with a typical curiosity about drinking. I had already seen up close what serious drinking could do to a person, and was not at all interested in alcohol. I never had more than a sip to taste until … Continue reading →

New Plans to Graduate Kids in 10th Grade

The last two years of high school are generally spent preparing for college and enjoying the last hurrahs of senior year, but what if it were the first two years of high school, grades nine and ten where this took place, instead of grades 11 and 12? An announcement made by education officials of one state may speed up graduation from high school from senior year to sophomore year, with graduation at tenth grade instead of 12th. On October 30th, education officials in New Hampshire announced that they will be giving students a rigorous new series of state board exams … Continue reading →

Graduation—Part Six—Thank You’s and Appreciation

We have talked about paperwork, we have talked about party planning, we have talked about all sorts of realities and details that come up when one of your children is graduating. In the end, after the ceremonies and the parties, we still have to get out all those “thank you” cards and make sure we let everyone know how much we appreciate their participation… While I do think that graduating student needs to take a big role in the sending and sharing of the “thank you’s,” I am also not naïve enough to think that it will all get done … Continue reading →

Graduation—Part Five—Planning the Party

Yesterday, in my series on Graduation and all of the tasks, trials, and joys that come along with it, I wrote about the decision-making process of whether to even have a party or not. You might think that a party is obligatory, but it’s not. I think it is really up to the graduating student as to what he or she wants to do. If you have decided to have that bash, however, you now have to come up with a plan—the theme, budget, menu, decorations, etc. Planning the party can be a challenge in the midst of everything else … Continue reading →

Graduation—Part Four—Managing the Invitations and Announcements

In the old days, I like to think that it was a much simpler process to announce a high school graduation. In fact, I think things were pretty homogenized when I graduated and I simply had to order the announcements through the school—everyone’s looked alike and then I can’t remember if I addressed them and mailed them out or my mom did (I’m pretty sure it was me.) Regardless, it seemed a fairly easy and painless process. With my daughters, however, the invitations/announcements have been a bit of a bigger deal. First, my daughters decided they wanted to do a … Continue reading →

Graduation—Part Three—to Have a Party or Not

Since I am living through the intensity of high school graduation—double-time (with two daughters moving on to college)—I have been writing about some of my challenges and observations. One of the big ones for us was deciding whether to have a party or not, and then figuring out what sort of a party, how to invite people and even coordinating the “when” was a big deal… Once my daughters decided that they could and would have a party together, they were both on board. At first, they just weren’t sure. There are so many other parties going on and one … Continue reading →

Graduation—Part Two—the Paperwork!

I wrote yesterday about the challenges of organizing and negotiating around family dynamics during graduation time. While this is definitely a consideration, for many of us, we first have to wade through the miles of paperwork, forms, and write those checks in order to get our child graduated an on to the next adventure. I confessed yesterday that I have two of my three children who are graduating and moving on this spring. I cannot count the times I have wondered how much easier it would be to manage one graduation, one college application, one financial aid process, etc. instead … Continue reading →