The end of the school year is no joke for anyone. There are parties and concerts and ceremonies and all the regular end-of-the-year hoopla.
Senior year is a whole different story.
I was not sufficiently prepared for senior year. Like not even close.
There are so many extra things that need to be done.
They should give you a checklist or something.
Cause I missed about half the stuff I was supposed to do.
I forgot to order Kristofer a yearbook. I really thought I had ordered one, but I never did. It’s his senior year. He deserves to have a yearbook.
I know, I know. He could have gotten it himself and I’m not the only adult in his life.
Also, he’s not at all upset about it.
I still feel bad.
But not that bad.
A few years ago I would have been losing sleep over this. Actually losing sleep.
Here’s what I know now.
A year from now, this won’t matter.
Kristofer will be okay. He won’t be permanently scarred or traumatized for life because he didn’t get a yearbook this year.
Or because I didn’t hand in any pictures of him for the Grad Party so he won’t have a poster like (mostly) everyone else.
Our school also does an adopt-a-senior thing and families “adopt” a senior and make gift baskets for them.
They surprise your senior with the basket.
I didn’t know this was a thing until last week when a basket showed up at our house. But then I wasn’t home when Kristofer opened it and I also didn’t know it was a thing to post a picture of the basket in the High School Class of 2023 FB group and once I realized that the basket had been completely dismantled I kept forgetting about taking a picture and so this is what I posted:
I was a little nervous to hit post because I wasn’t sure how it would be received.
I mean I was pretty positive I wasn’t the only person who has been hanging on by a thread, but what if I was?
What if I was the only mom out of the whole senior class who screwed up multiple times?
It didn’t take long for another mom to let me know her daughter got an award and she had no idea and totally missed the awards program. And her daughter never even got signed up for the gift basket.
Another mom told me she didn’t hand in Grad Party pictures in either.
Someone else said, “This is the greatest post I’ve seen today! All in favor keeping it real!!”
So I’m just here to remind you that it’s all good. If you missed stuff you are NOT the only one. There are lots of us out there.
If you think other people are judging the shit out of you or if you feel like you should be able to take care of all this stuff easily, stop it. Stop beating yourself up.
I get it.
I GET IT.
You are doing your best.
Your kids will be fine if all the senior year boxes didn’t get checked off.
And so will you.
It’s all going to be okay.
And if you have a kid who’s entering their senior year in the fall, well…
Consider yourself warned.
I can’t get over how much money it costs to “graduate” from schooling! Senior year is expensive and is a part time job in itself for us! Congratulations to Kristofer…and you!
My daughter graduated from high school approx. 10 days after my dad passed away last year. . He was sick, & in & out of hospitals for weeks prior to passing. Her Senior prom was the night before he died. To say I was not fully present for her is an understatement. I carried guilt over it for a long time, then I realized I did the best I could to be there under the circumstances. I think she understood, we both made the best of a shitty situation. And you’re right, a year later (he passed away June 11), none of it mattered. It’s ok. Everyone is dealing with other life issues besides Senior year. No one should judge others, just do the best you can. The bar does not have to be set unrealistically high for some of us. Congratulations to Kristopher.