Regardless of where you live, the pandemic is continuing to have an impact. Last
year at this time, two of my six kids were impacted by graduation ceremonies
being canceled. One child was finishing high school, another was wrapping up life
as an elementary school student. In our house, it meant no ceremonies, no
proms, no end-of-year school trips or parties.
This year is looking similar for many families, depending on the region you live in.
Parents are struggling, wondering how to celebrate and make their young
graduates feel special. Parents are thinking outside the box, in general, these days,
and graduation is no exception. What can we do?
Let Them Grieve
Our kids are experiencing disappointment. We need to let that happen and honor
it. We also need to encourage them to move on from that. Yes, it sucks, but there
is a big difference between feeling disappointed and being depressed.
Disappointment is a part of life. Help support your kids and give them the tools to
move on from it.
Celebrate
Graduation looks different, that’s for sure, but that doesn’t mean you can’t
celebrate it. Organize some lawn signs, family drive-bys and let your kid wear a
prom dress or fancy outfit for a Zoom dinner with friends and family. Put together
a video montage or a graduation photo book.
It Takes A Village
Set up a “Grad Ninjas” program! In my community, parents are creating beautiful
graduation gift baskets – when parents sign their child up to get one delivered to
their house for their student, they also sign up to bring one to another grad. It
creates a wonderful celebration and surprise for grads, and it’s so easy to
organize and administer.
We are certainly living in different times, but there are ways to make our young
graduates still feel special. Yes, it may look different, but it can still be awesome.
