My thoughts on Pre-school and Kindergarten graduation...you may not like them

My personal news feed on Facebook has been blowing up with pre-school and Kindergarten graduation pictures and it's been driving me nuts!

Mostly because I don't see the point.

Seriously, were you worried that your child wasn't going to pass?

I just saw a friend post this very comment beside a graduation picture of her admittedly very cute four year old son  "Well done buddy!!" followed by comments from family members saying "we are so proud of you" and "way to go!".

It hasn't been that long since my kids went to pre-school.

All three of them attended various pre-schools for at least two years each.

Not one of them had a pre-school graduation.

Maybe that makes me bitter?

Or maybe it makes me relieved.

I didn't have to buy overpriced professional portraits of my kids dressed in cap and gown,

bring balloons and flowers as congratulatory gifts or have a special dinner because by golly my kid graduated from a school where the only requirement is that their parents pay a monthly tuition to send them and that they show up.

Wait, they don't actually even have to do that!

Pre-school and Kindergarten are not required.

It was hard to find{because there is no such thing!} as a statistic for a kid who didn't walk with their peers for Kindergarten or pre-school graduation.There are no flunkies.So what are we doing it for?Don't get me wrong, as a parent, I have celebrated plenty of my children's milestones.However, I don't think that every milestone in a child's life requires pomp and circumstance.If we stop to celebrate every small detail of a child's existence, does the line get blurry between those things that really are important and should be celebrated?

Graduation should be special.It should be a moment in time that is celebrated.Once, twice even, and if you are super crazy smart {or just crazy!} maybe three times.These times should document a completion of hard work, effort and a new chapter in your life.Not just a blip in time where you are expected to just move on.Kids are expected to move on to Kindergarten or to first grade.Must we stop and treat this expectation like it's some major achievement?