From mid-May on into June the weekends are filled with festivities as graduates get the opportunity to celebrate a milestone achievement, one that generally marks the end of their years as children and brings them to the threshold of adulthood, ready to either enter the workforce or continue on towards a more distant goal requiring college and university.
It is a special time for everyone, a time to express our thanks to the people who have taught our children and inspired them, seeing their talents and encouraging them while helping them get through subjects they might have little interest in.
Teachers are special people. They care for our children for several hours everyday, from the time they are five-year-olds ready to get on the bus for the first time, proud of their new lunchkits through their ‘school? why?’ years and then seeing them finally become adults... or mostly adults anyway. They are the counterparts of parents, taking young minds and molding them, leading youth to be caring adults ready to take the world by a storm and maybe even build a brighter future for the next generation.
We also have to give a nod to our bus drivers, especially those of us who live in areas far from town. It’s good to be able to know and trust the man or woman who is carting your most precious cargo off to school and back home again over roads than are sometimes covered in snow and ice.
Then there are the coaches, the dance instructors, the karate instructors, the play directors and everyone who makes school more than classes and notebooks. They teach a different set of skills, many volunteering so the lives of these children can be enriched through sport, the arts and culture.
Parents need to give themselves a pat on the back as well.
Graduation is as much of an accomplishment for the parent as it is for the child. Most mornings mom and dad takes turns being the alarm clock, the laundress, the cook, the seamstress, the coach, the cheering section, the financial planner and sometimes the taxi driver over a number of years before a child reaches the age where he or she finally gets to set that cap on head and proudly wear that gown into a commencement ceremony. Of course, it is a labour of love, and likely more than one set of eyes will be damp during ceremonies over the next weekends while photos of our kids, from babies to teens, are showcased in gyms across the region.
And, finally, the grads themselves deserve a time to celebrate all they have accomplished.
Believe it or not, someday you’ll be telling you child about your school years, gleefully reminiscing about old friends, favourite teachers or great basketball games.
As you walk away from your childhood, remember all those who helped make you who you have become, who love you and continue to be your favourite fans, who will always be in your corner, cheering you on.
So have fun - but celebrate safely. You are cherished and loved. People are proud of you. Congratulations.