Ben’s 8th grade graduation dance is tonight. No, he doesn’t have to take a specific date or wear a tux, although ‘nice’ clothes are required. Next Wednesday evening he graduates and that’s the end of middle school for him.
West’s last day is Thursday but she only has to go to school for one hour.
The WCSE concert is next Friday evening (7 p.m. at Pleasant Home) and the June piano recital is the following Sunday afternoon (3:30 p.m. at the 19th Century Women’s Club).
My son Robert, who just completed 7th grade, had the opportunity to attend a formal dance at his school which is held annually as a graduation event for middle schoolers.
He opted not to attend, but I do hope he goes next year. There will be friends there he has known for many years since his school contains Pre-K through 8th grade. Not many of those same friends will likely attend the same high school that he will since they usually end up going to different magnet schools throughout Dallas.
He feels socially awkward at dances, and I don’t want to push him into doing something that he is uncomfortable with, but I have this fear that if he doesn’t go he will always regret it.
Laura, it’s hard to know how much to push kids. My son wanted to go and I was glad because it meant he felt comfortable with it from a social point of view.
The thing with kids at this age is, if they make their own decision they can’t blame you. If you make them do something they can blame you – a lot and for a long time 😉
And if he really doesn’t want to go then going might be a horrible experience. Or it might be way better than he thinks. It’s so hard to know, isn’t it?
Anyway perhaps he’ll feel quite differently in a year. My son’s social situation changed hugely from 6th to 7th grade (1st to 2nd year of middle school) because he became part of a group of friends who had been at other elementary schools. I’m very happy that those friendships have continued through 8th grade. And I’m pleased that most of them will go to the same high school.
It’s true that he might feel differently about it in a year. I hope he does. I agree that if kids make their own decision they can’t ‘blame you’, that’s one reason I try to allow my children to make as many decisions as reasonably possible for themselves.
I just plan to encourage him to really consider it , so that hopefully he won’t just dismiss it completely without thought. If he has regrets later I suppose there will at least be a lesson learned from whichever choice he makes.
Yes, I’m sure it will be a learning experience either way.