Dear Parents of a Graduate,

The time has come for your precious child to walk across the stage and receive their diploma. You and every other parent will enter the stadium thinking the exact same thing. It seems like it was just yesterday you were sending them off to kindergarten, where their bookbag was bigger than they were. As you are overwhelmed with emotions, you will wake up on graduation morning and hold back tears as you see your baby now all grown up. As this day comes and passes there are a few things you need to know.

As the mother or father of a graduate, you need to know that this day is just as much of an accomplishment for you as it is for them. This small mile stone is a way of telling you that you have actually mastered this whole thing we call parenthood. As they were in elementary school you frantically tried to get them ready in the morning hoping their shoes were on the right feet and that you remembered to sign their Thursday folder. In middle school, you were happy to not to have killed your child as they went through puberty and everything that comes with that monster. In high school, you had to face the fact that you didn’t know how to help your child with their homework anymore and just trust that they were responsible enough to do it on their own. You had to teach them how to drive and you probably had to help them through a few heart breaks also. As they walk across the stage you need to know that today is a special day, for you both have accomplished something rather challenging.

You need to know that with your child graduating you need to start trusting them more. Most of them are now considered a legal adult and with that comes its own freedoms and responsibilities. They will more than likely leave your home to attend college, join the military, or start their life in the workforce. Trust that you have raised your child well enough that they will make the right decisions. Allow them to have freedoms and don’t ride their butts every single day. Yes, they will make mistakes, and it’s okay to be there for them, but do not baby them. They are not a baby anymore. They are a grown adult and they need to learn to take responsibility for their actions.

Lastly you need to know that your child loves you. Although on graduation day they may act like it is all about them, deep down they know that they couldn’t have done it without you. They may not verbally show their appreciation to you but I promise you they do appreciate everything you do for them. You are a great parent even if you failed occasionally. If you truly tried, you are your child’s first love and true hero. One day you will notice they are going to turn out just like you and that may scare you, but to them it’s a sense of accomplishment. So enjoy their “last day of childhood.” Shed a few tears and hug their neck. I promise it’ll be a day you will never forget.

Yours truly,

A High School Grad