May and June are #graduation season. The academic calendar is coming to an end, and those in their senior years of high school and college will make the transition out of their respective schools and take the next steps in their lives. Many schools and families take note of middle and elementary school graduations, too.
The first thing on the minds of many #graduates and their #parents (after the ceremonies) is a #celebration. Graduation parties tend to be low-key, multigenerational affairs, gifts optional. If you plan one, ask the honoree what kind of gathering they would like to have, who should be on the guest list and what kind of refreshments might be served, says Emily Post.
However you #elebrate, graduation marks important milestone in life. The end of high school and college often carries bittersweet connotations, because the student will soon be saying goodbye to friends, accepting more adult responsibilities, and perhaps moving and/or entering a profession for the first time. Many will be seeking meaning or a new goal in life.
The reason many ceremonies are referred to as commencements is that while graduation is the end of one phase, it’s also new beginning — the culmination of years of work and a window into the great unknown. It can be an unsettling and emotional period; be prepared to help your gradate (or yourself) cope with new and unfamiliar demands.
One thing you can do to get the graduate’s next phase off on the right foot is to help them #edit and store the artifacts of those school years. With few exceptions, your high school grad isn’t going to need most of souvenirs of the previous four years for college or career, and college grads won’t need dorm-room trappings following them to their next homes.
Encourage your #grad to weed through their documents and keep the essentials — transcripts, writing samples, portfolios — in digital formats to save space. They can return textbooks and #organize #keepsakes in bins or boxes, PODS says. They can get rid of #clothing that won’t suit their next phase, along with extra appliances, dinnerware and other furnishings. Anything that doesn’t make the cut can go to ClothingDonations.org with a #free #donation #pickup.
Graduation is a milestone — and all milestones are an opportunity for reflection and goal-setting. #Decluttering can help graduates recognize and appreciate where their journey has taken them and move forward to the next big thing. Congratulations to all the grads!