Dont want to go to graduation

[_sideways_]

Does it make me a bad human being if I don't look forward to going to my kids middle school graduation?
I mean, it isn't a huge achievement and my kid knows that. We celebrate scholarships but sitting around and watching the whole class and yadda yadda

 

[Billtx49]

Boring yes, but your attendance conveys additional support, approval, and interest to your child, and a projected happy and proud aura is a necessity at these events.

 

[BeExcellent]

Go. I agree some of it is silliness at the end of the day, but it is important to your child whether they say it is or not. The fact that you were there and you assigned value to your child by being there is whats important. You do not want your child looking around and wondering why everyone else's parents valued their children enough to attend.

Its not about you. Its about your kid. Go. It shows you love him or her.

 

[penkitten]

Nobody wants to go see 200 kids get a certificate for completing the 8th grade. But we put our grown up pants on and we go endure it. We appauld and smile. It's what you have to do. You're not a jerk for dreading sitting there for 2 hours on a Wednesday night. You're only a real jerk if you don't show up.

 

[zekko]

Wow, there really is such a thing as a middle school graduation. They had one on The Middle (love that show), and on their message board there was some debate over whether or not middle schools really had graduations.

I don't think they had those back in the days when I "graduated" middle school.

 

[penkitten]

Wow, there really is such a thing as a middle school graduation. They had one on The Middle (love that show), and on their message board there was some debate over whether or not middle schools really had graduations.

I don't think they had those back in the days when I "graduated" middle school.

Now there are graduations for kindergarten, 5th grade, 8th grade and 12th grade. Every year has an awards ceremony that is sometimes combined with a graduation but often separate. There are Jr ring ceremonies. 3 band or orchestra concerts a year for 5th through 8th.
Everything they participate in has the regular events plus an award ceremony.
If your child is lucky enough to go to anything all county, or all state.... there's that stuff.
Parent teacher conferences left and right.
National honor society this and that.

Might as well pull up a cot.

But, all the years of going and from and bear it attitude paid off for me.
The oldest graduated #11 in his class with a small scholarship.
The 2nd graduated #9 in his class with a bigger scholarship.
And #3 graduated #8 in her class with a 4.2 gps and the mayor awarded her a plaque at some top senior event for 1 student per school.

 

[penkitten]

Do you want to hear something funny?

 

[Julian]

lol id ask my kid if they wanna go if they dont then we get to play video games and go adventure and do our own celebration instead of whatever corny **** the school has planned

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Well that depends. If your kids grow up to be successful people, then once they are no longer living with you and you have nothing to do anymore, you'll think back to the times where you were watching them grow up. Smaller stuff like these will be your most fond memories. And if you miss this, you may end up kicking yourself for it later on. Your kid is only gonna grow up once, and never again after that.

 

[The Duke]

I think this type of mentality is what is wrong with this country. It didn't used to be this way. Its another example of putting someone on a pedestal for accomplishing nothing. Its a continuation of "every kid gets a trophy" mentality. We need to produce more young people that don't need to be validated every 30minutes.

As parents, stop giving into this parade of senseless trumpeting. It breeds entitled under-producing primadonna's(millennials) that can't stand on their own. You are perpetuating the problem by attending.

You can convey support in more meaningful ways.

 

[zekko]

As parents, stop giving into this parade of senseless trumpeting. It breeds entitled under-producing primadonna's(millennials) that can't stand on their own. You are perpetuating the problem by attending.

I agree the idea of a middle school graduation is silly. But if you don't show up for your kid, you put him in the position of sitting there with no one to support him, while the kids around him had family who showed up for them. What is that going to do to a kid's psyche?

 

[SmooveMooves]

Yeah its kind of silly that we reward kids every 5 seconds but why would you not go? Idk man. I don't understand why people have kids if they don't want to parent. I hear all day when Im out parents cursing hollering and looking like they are absolutly miserable with kids.

Explain to your kid that the ceremony is pointless and why. Attend the graduation offering support to your kid. These little moments matter. If it were me and mine we would probably make fun of the whole thing together.

 

[The Duke]

I agree the idea of a middle school graduation is silly. But if you don't show up for your kid, you put him in the position of sitting there with no one to support him, while the kids around him had family who showed up for them. What is that going to do to a kid's psyche?

Zekko- I'd use it as an opportunity to help my kid grow strong as a person and explain to them how overrated it is. I'd explain to them that there are many situations in life that they will be given no attention/reward for. Celebrating every little thing in life takes away from the more important things. Its a way to show them that they don't need constant outside validation to feel good about themselves. They need to learn to reflect and rely on internal validation. I'd also use this as an exercise to say this is a time we don't need to worry about what others think. We aren't here to impress anybody else or keep up with the Jones's. We do whats right for us, not live our lives for anybody else. You will never find happiness living your life for somebody else.

This is how you mold a mentally strong individual that can stand on their own. I thank my parents every day for showing me tough love many times. They didn't sugar coat or shelter me or do it for me. They didn't go to every silly event in my life either. They put it all on the table and let me make my own choices. They let me decide what mattered and what didn't and were there for what mattered. I might be a hard ass as a result, but I don't have the struggles the majority of the population deals with.

 

[zekko]

Zekko- I'd use it as an opportunity to help my kid grow strong as a person and explain to them how overrated it is. I'd explain to them that there are many situations in life that they will be given no attention/reward for. Celebrating every little thing in life takes away from the more important things. Its a way to show them that they don't need constant outside validation to feel good about themselves. They need to learn to reflect and rely on internal validation. I'd also use this as an exercise to say this is a time we don't need to worry about what others think. We aren't here to impress anybody else or keep up with the Jones's. We do whats right for us, not live our lives for anybody else. You will never find happiness living your life for somebody else.

This is how you mold a mentally strong individual that can stand on their own. I thank my parents every day for showing me tough love many times. They didn't sugar coat or shelter me or do it for me. They didn't go to every silly event in my life either. They put it all on the table and let me make my own choices. They let me decide what mattered and what didn't and were there for what mattered. I might be a hard ass as a result, but I don't have the struggles the majority of the population deals with.

Well, at least they would understand why.

 

[SuckItUp]

Welcome to orange slices, participation ribbons, safe spaces etc. What's next a trophy for not letting child die before tithe age of 2.

 

[Thorninmyside]

Graduating middle school is like celebrating the weekend on Wednesday.

 

[marmel75]

Nobody wants to go see 200 kids get a certificate for completing the 8th grade. But we put our grown up pants on and we go endure it. We appauld and smile. It's what you have to do. You're not a jerk for dreading sitting there for 2 hours on a Wednesday night. You're only a real jerk if you don't show up.

Unless you want your kid to end up as one of these heroin addicts because their parents are always out chasing the almighty dollar and trying to give their kids "all the best things money can buy" when the kids only really want "all the best things money can't buy", like your love, time and affection, I'd say you probably should go.

You gave up your rights to act like a dillweed when you had kids.

 

[Huffman]

Do you want to hear something funny?

Yes, please.

 

[marmel75]

Zekko- I'd use it as an opportunity to help my kid grow strong as a person and explain to them how overrated it is. I'd explain to them that there are many situations in life that they will be given no attention/reward for. Celebrating every little thing in life takes away from the more important things. Its a way to show them that they don't need constant outside validation to feel good about themselves. They need to learn to reflect and rely on internal validation. I'd also use this as an exercise to say this is a time we don't need to worry about what others think. We aren't here to impress anybody else or keep up with the Jones's. We do whats right for us, not live our lives for anybody else. You will never find happiness living your life for somebody else.

This is how you mold a mentally strong individual that can stand on their own. I thank my parents every day for showing me tough love many times. They didn't sugar coat or shelter me or do it for me. They didn't go to every silly event in my life either. They put it all on the table and let me make my own choices. They let me decide what mattered and what didn't and were there for what mattered. I might be a hard ass as a result, but I don't have the struggles the majority of the population deals with.

It's a way to get your kids to turn to drugs, loser ass people who are going to drag them down in the gutter with them and other nefarious things they wil gravitate to becasue you basically are silently saying you don't give two sh!ts about them. Now I see why so many heroin and other drug overdoses are occuring with these rich kids in the suburbs....their parents really DON'T give two sh!ts about them.

 

[Billtx49]

It's a way to get your kids to turn to drugs, loser ass people who are going to drag them down in the gutter with them and other nefarious things they wil gravitate to becasue you basically are silently saying you don't give two sh!ts about them. Now I see why so many heroin and other drug overdoses are occuring with these rich kids in the suburbs....their parents really DON'T give two sh!ts about them.

That's right everyone can fvck, not many can effectively parent or care to.
Bottom line - live well with the results of your personal actions.