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My kiddo graduated 5th grade today and is officially headed into junior high

Shut up. I’m not crying. You’re crying lol 🫣😭🥲😭🥲😭🫣. Seriously though. I’ve been holding back the tears all day contemplating how this morning was the last time I walk Kiddo to their elementary school with our dog, chatting the whole way there like we do
— and this afternoon was the last time i’ll be waiting for them at the corner just outside like always , ready for all of us to walk home together.. 💜
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Well...you have to be glad that your child is completing the steps of a basic education, hopefully successfully (though celebrating this as a "graduation" feels like an extension of giving everyone "participant ribbons" at a field day [by a person who only got those ribbons]).

But of COURSE you are grieving the loss of some special bits of your days together (you, your child, your dog). You should write this up for you & your child as a great record of a very special, personal memory...and perhaps record a dry run of you doing the morning and afternoon walks to show what you'd talk about, etc.
WhateverWorks · 36-40
I definitely want my kiddo to transition into junior high proficient, but I’m not a huge fan of framing education as a competition. My kid worked hard to make sure that they were ready for sixth grade, especially despite the pandemic’s interference. 🤷🏻‍♀️ The ‘graduation’ aspect is a family thing, not something the school orchestrated. They walked home in my university graduation cap. That’s not really what we’re celebrating though.

I do wish I had recorded our conversations over the years. There were so many. It felt like those days would last forever. I’m just glad I take it obnoxious amount of pictures at least lol..

@SomeMichGuy
@WhateverWorks

[quote]I definitely want my kiddo to transition into junior high proficient, but I’m not a huge fan of framing education as a competition.[/quote]

Nor am I; your mention of "graduation" from 5th grade reminds me of giving everyone ribbons at a field day.

And you're right that what had to be done to learn, during the pandemic, could be challenging.

To go back to competition, though, I think of learning as a set of puzzles, challenges, etc., for *me*...and that competition is with myself. I always try to understand things better, more deeply, etc.

Learning is not a passive endeavor.
WhateverWorks · 36-40
I can’t speak for how other families handled the last few years, but I would definitely not describe the amount of hard work and commitment my kid put in as a passive endeavor lol @SomeMichGuy
@WhateverWorks True.

But, [u]other[/u] than the pandemic, over the years, I have seen a lot of people approaching learning with a minimalist attitude, and viewing schools primarily as arenas for the extracurricular sporting events and socializing.

Perhaps the pandemic has re-engaged a lot of students...
WhateverWorks · 36-40
🤷🏻‍♀️ As I said, I can’t speak for other families, but minimal effort has never been the way of things for us even before the pandemic. The pandemic only added new obstacles. I’m of the opinion that minimal effort is for people who either don’t realize the later consequences or have the luxury to do so. 🤔 @SomeMichGuy
@WhateverWorks EXCELLENT!

I applaud your approach!

When do you get to move into the new place?
WhateverWorks · 36-40
Still looking. We may get some good news this Tuesday. 🤞🤞 housing market is a shark tank out there. I have learned after the last experience though to maintain my equanimity until papers are signed lol @SomeMichGuy