Dear senior mom

 

Dear senior mom, 

I love seeing your pictures on social media! This time of graduation is such an exciting time for ones who are finishing up their school careers; it doesn't matter if they're graduating from preschool, kindergarten, eighth grade, twelfth grade, or college—it's a milestone worth celebrating. It's emotional seeing them walk down that aisle and hearing their name being called; I went through it three times and I cried every single time. It wasn't that I cried tears of sadness; they were just the opposite! I cried because I was happy for them and proud of them, and it was beautiful seeing them experience all of that day and what it offered. I'm so glad I have picture proof of mine, but may I offer you some advice? 

First, take some time to process all the emotions. I am so glad that I wrote about that time frame here on my blog! I love going back and reading about those days. I encourage you to do that and to talk about it with your friends. I had such a great support system when my boys graduated, and I will always be grateful for the many conversations my family and friends had with me over all the things I was feeling. 

Secondly, don't forget to take some pictures! You don't have to go overboard with the amount that you take, but do consider passing off your phone to someone else to take the pictures for you. My sister Lisa took some great pictures of Graham's graduation back in 2017; one of them is this one below that I now have framed because I love it so much. It's not like it's a great quality photo, but I love that it's blurry; that's about how fast their childhood zooms by, and this picture is such a great representation of that. Don't just take the pictures, either, but be in the pictures. The older I get, the less I care about what I look like in pictures. The point is, as moms, we need to be seen in the pictures. You'll never regret that decision, I promise! 

One last piece of advice, and I'll go: cherish the day. Make sure you have all the information you need before the big event, and allow extra time for not having to rush. I made all my boys have a try on session with their cap and gown just to make sure we'd know what we were doing on the day of, and also to see how we would squish their curls underneath those awful caps. 🤣 

Enjoy the day. Eat good food. Make plans for after the ceremony, even if it's just going out to eat at a nice restaurant. Have a party if you want, but don't stress over all the details; let them tell you what they'd like to do, since the day is all about them. (We had parties for ours, but the first one was the fanciest. The second one was easier, and the third time around was my favorite, since it was just family and their best friends.) Hug them! Laugh with them. Cry, if you need to, but don't waste precious time wallowing in that feeling. Be happy for them! Make them pose for pictures with just you; you worked just as hard as them getting them to this day. Love the day and all that it's about; don't worry too much about tomorrow or what comes after, details always have a way of working out. 

Have fun! It was one of my favorite days of all time, each time one of them (or two of them) graduated. I hope you're encouraged by these reminders, my friend. 

Love,

Your emotional, sappy, friend.

Jenn 💙