What a wonderful time of the year when young people are
graduating from one grade to another. Friends are posting pictures of
Kindergarten Graduations, 5th grade graduations, 8th
grade graduations, 12th grade graduations, and even college
graduations. I can help but wonder what type of communication is being said at
these graduations between parent and child.
I see the families show up dressed in their Sunday best, carrying
balloons, flowers, and cards all while wearing a smile that can cheer up a blind
man. The energy in the air is that of
joy, accomplishments, and honor, but how effective are the conversations?
Have you ever wondered what's the significance of a
graduation ceremony? Has society reduced graduations into another commercial
holiday where people spend a lot of money on unneeded gifts and use the
occasion to eat a lot of food like we do most holidays? Or do graduations have
a different intent and purpose for celebrating?
If you ever research the history of graduations, they were
used in order to document a time period in a person’s life where they were
exiting one stage and entering into another stage of their life. Graduations are considered to be “a right of
passage” in which all the graduates are gathered together to separate them from
the rest of society, speak words over them in order to prepare and transform
them for the next phase of their life, and then release them back into society
as new people with a new status. (Sounds
a lot like a wedding ceremony doesn’t it?)
Graduations are a time in life where a person gets a chance
to slow down form all the hustle and bustle of life and become equip with all
the things needed in order to be a successful person at the new stage in their
life.
I’m not sure if the traditions we are practicing in learning
institutions all over the United States are preparing our graduates for the new
stage in their life anymore, but that doesn’t mean as parents, mentors, and
relatives of graduates that we don’t take this opportunity to speak words of
wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration into the graduates that we know.
Is your little one
graduating from kindergarten?
Use this as an opportunity to help your child transition
from a preschool format of learning to a school system that is curriculum and
standards centered. Let your little one
know that graduating from kindergarten isn’t about a major accomplishment, but
it is a celebration for the road ahead.
A time where your child will begin to develop their skills, talents, and
begin to come into their life’s purpose.
Speak good words over your child and send them out into the world ready
for the challenge ahead.
Is your child
graduating from Middle School?
Graduations that occur from Middle to High School should be
used to open up the conversation between parent and child of all the things
high school has to offer; both good and bad.
This is the time period in a child’s life where regardless of who they
were before, they are moving on to another phase and so many parents makes the
mistake of not having the talk that they need to have with their child now,
because they want to wait to see if any of the high school teenage issues will
effect their child. Many parents take a
chance and as a result they either remain quiet, or have an ineffective talk
with their teenager. As a high school teacher for fifteen years, I am here to
tell you that you can’t afford to wait around and not have an effective
conversation with your teenager. It doesn’t matter how great your child’s
grades are, or no matter how many times they say “Yes Ma’am” all children
become exposed to teenager issues and the possibilities of sex, drugs,
bullying, peer pressure, depression, etc.
These are the issues that are awaiting your child in high school. A
graduation speech from a person selected by the school site council along is
not enough to prepare your child for this next stage. An effective verbal conversation that you
have with your child will make a significance difference in the quality of life
your child has.
Powerful parents have powerful and effective conversations
with their children. They learn how to
say the right words, the right way, and at the right time so their words will
not return void but will make a lasting impression on their child. Learn how to
talk effectively to your child and be a powerful parent by Clicking Here!
Is your teenager
graduating from High School?
Last night, I attended a graduation banquet for my students
who are seniors, and I couldn’t help but feel a little sad at the thought that
they are all moving on the next phase of their life. There will be no parent to
wake them up for school, no one to remind them to do their homework, and n controlled
environment of a high school. These
students that are about to enter a new stage of their life called
adulthood. For the first time in their
life, these young people will be grown and there are all types of things that are
waiting for them at college. College
holds the opportunity for a chance to learn and grow as well as a chance to
become distracted and create permanent outcomes that are not apart of the plan
to of being on course.
A Charge to Take
Action!
After the ceremony, the gifts, pictures, and the “breaking
of bread”, I would like to encourage every parent, mentor, and family member of
a young graduate to learn how to have an effective conversation with your
child. Communication is the biggest cause of misunderstanding and the
dissolution of relationships. People are
doing a whole lot of communication, but don’t know how to do it effectively. That’s where I come in. Allow me to help you effectively
communicate.Do not leave this important task up to the commencement speaker, but make sure
you speak your own keynote address as into a child’s life as well!
Get the new book that is uniting parents and teens everywhere. Read true stories about real teen issues the proper way for adults to deal with them. Don't end up with your foot in your mouth. Become a powerful parent by learning how to talk to your child and heal their issues today. Click on the link http://www.amazon.com to place your order and take advantage of the June Graduation Sale Now!
Address your child’s
dreams.
Address your child’s
fears.
Address all the things
that lay ahead waiting for them.
-Shira Dillon
Shira Dillon has a Master's Degree in Secondary Education, and a Bachelor's Degree in Speech, Theater, and English Education. Shira is a SAG/AFTRA actress and comedian that infuses her talents in the entertainment industry, her own childhood experiences of being a teen, and her 15 years of experience in the public school system to help parents and teens all over the country fix their life and relationships. With the new release of her teen self-help book, Sex, Drugs, and Other Elephants:How To Deal With Teenage Issues, Shira has been highly sought out for parenting/teaching consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements. To learn more about Shira Dillon or for booking information go to www.shiradillon.blogspot.com
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