Ok, I know I’m going to piss off a lot of soccer mommies out there, but I just gotta vent on this one, it’s the ridiculous graduation ceremonies for kindergarten, 6th and 8th graders.
Friends have invited us to their DD & DS’s (hang on, I’ll get to those abbreviations in a minute) 8th grade graduation parties and while it’s a nice thought, is it REALLY that important to celebrate the passing of the 8th grade? Is this such an incredible milestone as to warrant a party? If so, then why not celebrate the child’s passing of EVERY grade? Sure Jethro Bodine made it only to the sixth grade, but he had uncle Jed’s 60 million to fall back on, but I digress. Worse yet is that many parents reward this everyday event with expensive gifts and trips. One parent in another forum said they would give their DD a trip…their definition of a trip was to exclude Asia, Hawaii and Australia, but the lower 48 and Europe was OK. No kidding!

I see the “mommy” sites referring to their DH, DD & DS which stands for Dear or Darling Husband, Son or Daughter…hang on whilst I upchuck. Look, I know you parents out there just love your children and love to place them on a pedestal for all the world to see, but for God’s sake, let’s be realistic! Paying kids for grades or for the mundane accomplishment of passing kindergarten, 6th grade or 8th grade should be a private party for immediate family only, not a celebration equal to a wedding or college graduation complete with cake and expecting gifts from friends and family. These same people must have had their babies first BM bronzed.
With over 6.7 billion people on the planet, I made the conscious but difficult decision NOT to have children. That doesn’t mean I hate kids, but from what I can see, the problems we face today with self absorbed, spoiled children who then turn into rude adults all stems from the coddling they receive as children. Like the saying goes, there are no bad dogs, only bad owners and the same is true for children. Teach them how to appreciate success without having to be rewarded for every single accomplishment and surprisingly enough, they’ll thank you in the end.

Tags: 8th grade, graduation, party