I’m not normally a procrastinator. In fact, I am a planner and organizer at heart. But as of last week I had already received three graduation party invites, yet hadn’t even started planning one for my son.
This just wasn’t like me. But I eventually realized there were a couple of things going on.
The first is that the idea of planning a large party was stressful. And the second is that a part of me was trying to deny the reality of what is ahead.
It is one thing to plan and prepare for your child’s high school graduation. It is another thing to come to terms with the fact that your child is heading off into the military. It was as if by planning the party, I was finally accepting his destiny.
This is an issue I will probably continue to work through until the day he leaves. But thankfully I managed to spend some time this week finally putting a plan together, which might help others who are procrastinating or will be planning a graduation in the near future.
The first thing you should do is pick a date. Since it is already near the end of May, I knew it wouldn’t be smart to try and have his party in June. Besides, almost everyone has their graduation parties in the month of June.
I decided to be a little different and make mine July 14th. This gives me nearly two months to get ready. Already I felt the stress level decline a bit.
The next thing is to come up with your invite list. The easiest way for me to do this was to go through my Facebook friends. That way I didn’t forget anyone.
Now here is where I also strayed off the well-beaten path when it comes to inviting. I didn’t invite everyone and their mother, just so my son can rake in the dough. I know that many parents do this and I’m not criticizing.
It’s just that for me, doubling my invites for the sheer sake of my son getting more isn’t worth the stress. And since we are not only celebrating his graduation but his future in the Air Force, I only put on my list people who have influenced his life or our family in some way.
There is so much more to planning a graduation party, so I have decided to make this a two part blog. And if anyone has their own tips to contribute, I would gladly welcome them.
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Photo by Neaners in Flickr