I’m not one for tradition, I don’t believe in doing things just because it’s always been done a certain way. I’ll question things that don’t make sense. In fact, by the time my life is said and done I hope I cause people to ask more questions than I provide them answers. That should be pretty simple, seeing as I don’t have any answers.
By no means am I out to make anyone feel good about their self or be polite for no reason, but even I know that there is some common decency expected towards other people.
Tonight my daughter Riley graduated from kindergarten at Sharpstein Elementary school. Granted, at an hour the ceremony is about 40 minutes too long but, this after all is a cute little graduation program in which they make boys and girls dance together a situation I am not even close to being ready for yet. Luckily my baby girl still only has eyes for me!
That’s not really the problem I wanted to discuss. Before I get to what I really want to rant about I have a subtext rant if you will. Before the “incident” that is leading me to write this, I realized how incredibly strange and surreal it was that about 100 people in the audience had video cameras. Someday everything will be filmed (and put online), an odd time to be alive to say the least.
So the kids sang their songs, did the jig, and generally everyone was having a great time, sitting squashed like sardines wishing to get chopped up and put on a pizza in the gym. Then came the part where they get their little kindergarten diplomas, this is where it gets a bit pathetic, this is where even someone like me knows the right thing to do.
They lined all the little tykes up and started calling out names. People started cheering, I think because it was almost over now and there were free cupcakes in the cafeteria. Now, I am no expert on etiquette, and no missionary for manners, but I’m pretty sure that after they call your kids name it’s not to get up out of the stands and come get them!
At about the “C’s” in the graduatory role call people became impatient. I can understand some circumstance where a family may be in a hurry and need to leave before the entire shindig is finished… Leaving for another child’s baseball game, funeral, sudden onset of diarrhea, so when people started to get up and leave after their child’s name was called I was quick to provide them the benefit of the doubt. I hesitated to jump right to the, “American’s really love free cupcakes, or any type of food,” I thought it might be the sharts. However it was clear that it was not colon related, people were just being indicative of their own nature, selfish.
Who cares about anyone else’s kid? At least 50 percent of people began to leave after their child was called, actually walking in front of other people’s children receiving their special kindergarten graduation package. It was as if people were saying, “I brought my camera, I saw my kid, and now I’m outta here.” Well it’s not like that; it was that. People being people, and I can’t say it’s anything I would imagine my parents generation doing.
Really? Did you really need a cupcake so bad you had to walk in front of other people’s kids? Someday about half the people in that gym will have to watch one of their child’s first important memories with some moron walking right in between their camera and their kid’s face. Moral of the story? No more free cupcakes at kindergarten graduation, the parents can’t wait.
4 Comments
I think this is indicative of what is just one of the problems with our society, come on-kindergarten graduation????? By the time they get through their preschool graduation, kindergarten graduation and 8th grade graduation the hype is lessoned by the time of their highschool graduation. Same thing with formals, what is with 8th grade formal, then jr. prom and winter formal and spring formal then sr. prom. By the time the real deal comes around we are so desensitized that it becomes the norm to spend vast amounts of money on these so called celebrations. I do have to admit, I really don’t care about the other parents kid, I don’t care if they are cute as a bug walking up to get their piece of paper they probably can’t even read, I don’t care about the inside jokes the kids share with their classmates and are commented on during ceremonies. I just want to get the paper that says my kid wasn’t kicked out of pre-school and leave so I can relax in my own home watching MY kid act cute and celebrate privately. Wow! Jeremy I must have taken a drink out of your water bottle-forgive my rant. Now I know why you do it, it feels good and it’s fun. another job well done!
Jeremy, I too was at the Sharpstein graduation and I too was appalled at the behavior of the “parents”. I thought it was shameful the was some the parents went out onto the floor to get a better angle on their kid when they were dancing. I’ll admit it has been awhile sense I’ve been to the Theater but I’m sure it’s bad form to go up onto the stage (or gym floor, as the case may be) to take a picture of the performance. As bad as that was it does not hold a candle to the mass exodus during the presentation of the the “diplomas”. And this was even after an announcement to remain seated until all the children had received their diploma. My son is one of those that will only be able to look back at a picture of his nose poking out from behind some “lady” when he was shaking hands with the principal. These are milestones in the life of a child that can never be repeated and to have it blocked out by someone who felt their boredom outweighed someone else’s right to enjoy watching one of their child’s milestones is just pathetic. /rant
GOOD GAME LAST NIGHT!!
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