The Gen Y kids now entering the workforce, in the academy, are absolute nightmares and the opposite of collaborative. It's amazing, but their every thought is, to them, the first of its kind in recorded history, even if it's like the most banal and common idea you could imagine.
I can understand the encouraging parent involvement, but as a graduate, I hated everyone single ceremony I've been a part of. I wish they would just give us the diploma and tell us the get the hell out instead of all that fake BS they try to pull.
Strangely, I am not really against this. Maybe it is because my wife works at a pre-school. It really isn't that big of a deal, IMO.
Cynical view: Its for the growing number of single mothers banding together taking over the world to feel that THEY'RE validated and doing something productive. More s**t to fill THEIR time. Optimistic view: Its fun for the kids and families if its not taken seriously. I think JuanValdez said it best, its all a rite of passage at that age if done right. NOT an "accomplishment must be MEANINGFUL" thing. Less ceremony, more pizza party. I had a kindergarten graduation. I was too young to know what the hell was going on. All I remember was that putting on the gown felt really "dressy" and "proper", similar feeling to the first time you ever put on a suit. Or the first time your parents forced you to dress up for church. And when they called my name I walked up to the stage with a giant lifesize Miss Piggy at the podium greeting everyone. (I thought it was the real Miss Piggy. I was scared at first but then I liked it. Miss Piggy was A-list at the time). Its one of the first times I actually remember being told to pose for a photograph. Really I didnt feel much heightened accomplishment or entitlement, felt like I was worked into the "system" being flung around place to place for external motives. Kind of like the world! Except we had cake and ice cream and a giant Muppet.
