It’s very exciting for your child when they graduate from high school. For the parents, though, it’s a bit different. While it’s wonderful to watch your child grow up, it can also be heartbreaking. A piece of you just wants your child to stay young forever. For better or worse, with graduating comes big change for you and your kids. Here are a few ways to deal with that change, and help your child transition into adulthood.
One way to cope with your child leaving home is to spend time with them. They will be busy preparing for college and adult life, so ask if you can help them with that. Ask them if there are things they want to know before they leave home. Do they know how to budget or cook a nutritious meal? They may not have learned that in school, so ask if they want to spend some time going over those topics. If your kid is uninterested in talking about mundane tasks, don’t push it. Your time with them is limited, so you’ll want to make the most of it. Ask them to watch a movie with you or go on a hike together. You can also combine a teaching moment with fun, by helping them with a task and making it enjoyable. Teach them how to cook that secret family recipe, or blast their favorite music from speakers while showing them how to fix their car. Whatever you and your child decide to do together, enjoy every minute. This time won’t last forever.
Another way to deal with your feelings about your child’s graduation is to talk things out with a friend. It may be tempting to tell all of your feelings to your child, but that may not be best for them. They should be excited about moving on to new things, not feel guilty about what they will leave behind. You can share with your child that you are sad they are leaving, but follow it up with affirmations of how excited you are for them as well. Likely you will need to talk through your mixed emotions with someone, but your child isn’t the right person. Find a close friend or family member to talk to. Let all your feelings out, and let your friend comfort you. It might be helpful for you to talk with someone who has been in the same situation. They may have insight and advice you wouldn’t have thought of. If you still feel down about things, you can see a therapist to help you work things out. Acknowledging your emotions is an important part of accepting that your child is moving on, and you will feel better once you do.
You can also come to terms with your child’s graduation by helping them send out graduation announcements. This is a joyful way to celebrate your kid’s accomplishment. Take them to their favorite place and have a photo shoot with them. Have them wear their favorite outfit, or encourage them to bring multiple outfits to change into. Hire a photographer or take the photos yourself, and go through them together with your almost-graduate. Have them choose one or two of their favorite photos and let them pick out graduation announcements they like. Basic Invite has some really great cheap graduation announcements options. If none of those appeal to you, you can always make graduation invitations on their site instead. All of their cards are customizable, so your grad can make their announcements look exactly how they want. Once your child is done customizing, you can order and send out the announcements to everyone. Your friends and family are going to love your graduate’s announcements, so order some today!
Although it can be difficult to watch your child graduate and move on to adulthood, don’t forget that this is a very exciting time for both of you. You can deal with mixed emotions about graduation by sending out graduation announcements with your teen, talking to a friend or professional about your feelings, and spending time with them before they leave the nest. Don’t let stress or fear keep you from spending time with your graduate. Acknowledge your feelings, and let them go. This time won’t last forever, and you can’t let it slip away. I hope you enjoy every minute with your teen, and I know they will love spending time with you too.
