Counting preschool, 5th grade, high school, college graduations, and or advanced degree graduations, as a mom, you may celebrate multiple graduations throughout your lifetime.
The whirlwind of feelings that moms experience while trying to get their kids matriculated is both complicated and hard to describe. I have broken the experience down thusly…
The 5 Stages of Graduation for Moms
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Anticipatorily Anxious
There’s always a little tickle in the back of a mama’s brain that something could keep her baby from crossing that stage. Maybe it’s a forgotten P.E. credit, or needing 112 on a final exam to pass a class. Perhaps it’s senioritis-induced truancy, or a skip day prank gone south. Not to mention, you also may be on pins and needles waiting for THAT college acceptance, or for THE offer from their dream job. Whatever it is, moms must keep that healthy fear alive to get everyone to the finish line.
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Euphorically Overwhelmed
Whew!!!! They made it. Graduation is 100% happening. Now, you’ve got to:
order tickets – get a cap and gown – find a photographer for senior photos – design announcements – plan the perfect party – manage family expectations – hunt down more tickets – shop for your outfit – make reservations for the post-ceremony meal – get there on time without arguing – search for parking – save seats in a discreet manner – be able to see the stage…and all of this, I might add, with probably no help at all. -
Exhaustingly Relieved
Cue the music, grab the tissues, and away they go, striding with confidence, shaking hands, getting a paper version of your blood, sweat, and tears. You hear the name you worked so hard to pick out (pronounced correctly), and with a whoosh of applause, it is done. Flowers, photos, hugs, tears, pride – this is the payoff. Laughs over lunch, posting on Facebook, then collapsing on the sofa while they go off with their friends – you’ll nag them to write their thank you notes later.
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Avoidantly Excited
Onward and upward! If your child’s next step is college, the “fund” begins. Now you’re planning dorm room decor, searching for roommates, buying new clothes, selecting classes, blocking out parents’ weekend dates, and wondering how to finance it all. If they are headed into the workforce, you may be checking out apartments, making budgets, networking with friends in the industry, and figuring out transportation. It’s forward-moving, busy, and positive, and keeps you from thinking about the inevitable last stage.
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Reluctantly Resigned
Time to load up the car, drive for miles, unload the car, get them all set up, promise to call soon, cry a little, and then return home to a different house, a quieter house, a new normal. This is the last and hardest stage, the empty nest. It’s very important to plan for this part. Test drive a new hobby, schedule girls’ nights out, and set up care package parties with other moms of grads. Whatever it is, keep yourself busy while you are figuring out how to refill your cup and find yourself again.
Congratulations to all the graduates! And be sure to thank your mother!!!!
