By Katy M. Clark

One of the best parts of my son’s high school graduation was unexpected. It wasn’t the processional, with hundreds of young people in their caps and gowns marching onto the football field.

It wasn’t the speeches — although, thankfully, the ones at my son’s graduation were short and generated some laughs.

The unexpected part of graduation was post ceremony, when my son moved from friend group to friend group, hugging, shaking hands, and snapping pictures.

He hugged his friends since kindergarten, then posed with new classmates he met as a high school senior. He shook hands with teammates from sports he’d played. It was amazing to see him mark this moment with so many kids from so many different parts of his life.

It made me think: Wouldn’t it be awesome to congratulate, honor, and recognize all the parents who walked alongside us and our high school graduates to this day

Starting with parents I met at daycare, the ones I saw at drop-off or pick-up when our kids were little. They were some of the first friends I made as a parent. We made strides together in our early attempts to balance work and parenting.

I’d want pictures with the playgroup moms who welcomed me and my messy, loud, crying tot into their homes. And the summertime moms, with whom I visited the beach or pool to get the kids out of the house for a few hours. These moms made me feel less alone and sprinkled my days with the sunshine of adult companionship.

Then the birthday party parents. We spent dozens of weekends with each other at miniature golf, laser tag, or bounce house venues, and weathered the noise and mirth of places like Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday afternoons.

I’d want pictures with the room volunteers. Together we manned craft tables at holidays, helped small groups with reading or spelling, and ran activities in the hot sun on Field Day.

Parents who chaperoned field trips. They know how hard it is to keep a group of youngsters from wandering off! And the mom who partnered with me on a middle school trip. Without her, I don’t know how I would have endured a rowdy group singing the Spongebob Squarepants theme song over and over.

I’d want pictures of the church parents who greeted my family every Sunday, prayed for my child, taught his youth group, and walked alongside my child in his faith journey from tot to teen.

I’d pose for pictures with sports team parents. They cheered for my kid as I cheered for theirs. We shivered in the rain by soccer fields and shared blankets in the hockey rink so we didn’t freeze.

Looking around the crowd after my son’s high school graduation, there were so many more parents whose photos someone might treasure. The parents who helped with scout troops, or debate, or the robotics teams. Who prepped for band competitions or theater performances. Parents who ran the parent-teacher organizations.

If I were to attend a high school graduation all over again, I’d snap pictures with all the people who were part of our family’s journey to this occasion. I’d hug and high five them. After years of trying to coordinate our schedules to hang out, we were actually all here. 

Together, we made raising our kids a little easier, less lonely, and a lot more fun. 

Katy M. Clark is a writer and mom of two who embraces her imperfections on her blog Experienced Bad Mom.