"I did it mama, I'm all done school now," said Amanda's son when he finished preschool last week.
He wasn't just excited that school was done for summer; he thought he was done as Amanda's preschool had a full cap and gown ceremony for the 4-year olds who were getting ready to head home for the summer.
Facebook is peppered this week with comments from Moms squealing with glee as their 5-year old successfully completes the tasks of sharing, naptime and not wetting their pants.
Really? Kindergarten graduation?! Oh, but that's not all - there's pre-school grad, elementary grad, junior high grad and more.
Memo to parents and kids: you're not done until you're done. Sure you're graduating in the textbook definition of the phrase by moving on to the next level of education, but you're not done.
Want some evidence that we over coddle our kids? Want to know one of the ways we're turning the next generation into one of the most selfish history will ever see? Want to know how you are guilty of turning them into an over entitled lot?
Cap and gown for junior high, middle school, elementary school, kindergarten and preschool. It's happening.
Amanda's son has another 13-20 years of education ahead of him, but his mom is all proud her little boy is "done."
I get that it's cute to play dress up with your kids and to have fun with things, but don't you think we're over doing it?
Makeover / spa birthday parties for 6-year olds. Super sweet 16 parties where kids snuff their noses at new cars because it's "the wrong colour." Graduation celebrations more than a decade before necessary.
We parents are getting totally and completely sucked into the game.
"My oldest daughter is having a grade 8 graduation this Thursday," writes Charlene, "and she is pretty much treating it as a grade 12!! She had to have the dress, hair professionally done, corsage and limo too and a couple hours after with friends to drive downtown. She'll have a blast :)"
Really? Is that necessary?
Let the kids be kids, save some stuff for when they're older. We're ruining them.
"
I cried when both of my sons were born. That crippling, hunched over almost fall to your knees cry of relief. It wasn't happiness or sadness, it was just an exhale of emotion that had been bottled up and contained through 9-months of worry that burst out of me like a volcano finally releasing to the pressure from inside.
The waiting was over.
Except it wasn't over, it was just beginning.
I created my site, DadCAMP, as a dedication to what it means to be a Dad. It's about compromise, it's about fear, it's about leadership, it's about learning. It's about patience, it's about play, it's about participation, it's about being last on the list.
It's also about taking time to reflect on the mileage you've covered and the road still ahead. Because every day life with your kids is just beginning.
Here's a list I wrote in June 2007. 11 Cool Things About Newborns, in case you had forgotten.
1. babies can hold their breath a really long time
2. everybody, deep down, means well
3. dirty diapers aren’t that dirty when your own son is the dirtier
4. the "miracle" part in the "miracle of life" is that women survive and want to do it again
5. sleep is a luxury, not a right
6. a baby's vomit is the fastest way to stop an argument and bring peace
7. people who run around showing off pictures of their children aren't crazy, the baby is their equivalent to the latest movie you saw or restaurant you ate at
8. babies have more outfits than Imelda Marcos had shoes because they need them
9. all you really need is 2 good hours of sleep
10. one smile erases a week of sleepless nights
11. 8 days old is a pretty cool age
Today I will take my son to a pond to go fishing for the first time. 4-years ago I was just amazed he could breathe on his own.
Happy Father's Day everyone.
"
This week the radio station I do mornings on, 90.3 AMP Radio in Calgary, launched a new contest called "Breast Summer Ever." The premise is simple: enter to win a $10,000 breast augmentation.
We'll choose 10 finalists and then we will crowd source the winner through an online vote. Photos are part of the entry, but the key for us is the story behind the entry. The reason why the entrant wants to undergo the procedure.
Upon announcement of the contest, a moderate firestorm erupted on Twitter with people calling the contest disgusting, misogynist and demeaning to women. That energy fed on itself for the morning and the mainstream media picked up on the story. You've no doubt seen one of these headlines in your local paper or on your news today:
Breast surgery contest: Is that an appropriate prize? [CBC]
Radio contest for free boobs draws fierce debate [Calgary Herald]
Breast Summer Ever contest sparks debate [Global TV]
Breast contest begets cleavages [Metro]
But a funny thing happened after the backlash. Support flooded in. This morning I threw open debate on my program and invited discussion on what, apparently, had got the community quite upset. I received no angry phone calls. Not one upset listener.
I interviewed Sandi, one of the early entrants. She lost 80 pounds last year, is a single mom and would love to fix what she calls her "gorilla boobs," that didn't quite reshape along with the rest of her body. I heard from Courtney who would love to win the contest to undergo a breast reduction to help her back pain. I heard from Danielle who has a 4-year old and would like her pre Yummy Mummy chest back.
I think the backlash came from people who thought this would be a trashy bar-star pinup promotion with young women tossing themselves out for sexist judgement, but the opposite story is coming out.
So I'd like to ask you, the Yummy Mummies, about this contest. Are you offended? Would you enter? Would it make you switch the station? Does it even matter?
Printer-friendly version