Apparently, the education system suffers a work stoppage over the Easter Holiday when we are not looking. After that time, school becomes a barrage of field trips, field days, and parties. My kids eat this up each year, and my wallet begins to hemorrhage to pay for yearbooks, t-shirts, field trips fees, teacher’s gifts, graduation gifts, and party favors. Obviously, financial hazing in its purest form.

The emotional hazing comes with the awards day ceremonies, and graduations. Mothers of high school seniors are, of course, hit the hardest; but our children now graduate from preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school also. We sit through the academic speeches just to get the opportunity to dredge up our deepest emotions regarding our children, and then try desperately to make it to the car before the real bawling begins because our baby isn’t anymore.

For instance, my son graduated from the fourth grade (into Middle School next year). He won an academic award, and I won the Blubbering Idiot award for smearing the calligraphy on his certificate. I would swear I saw a small smirk on the Principal’s face as I departed – another hazing complete. <continued below>

My children receive a sugar rush that carries them straight through the summer until approximately two days before school begins again.

We are bombarded with parties at this time of year. From the classroom, to the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, church groups, and clubs, end-of-the-year parties are the norm. My children receive a sugar rush that carries them straight through the summer until approximately two days before school begins again. On behalf of my children’s dentist and myself, I want to thank these organizations for this particular hazing. My dentist says his credit card company sends an additional note of appreciation.

The joy of finding summer fun usually includes sports of some kind. I love sports, but the thing I love best is that baseball and T-ball usually start before school ends. This is the cruelest of Mommy hazing—requiring her to be in several places at one time. Last week, I saw an otherwise normal-looking woman standing on a street corner, dumbstruck. I didn’t even have to ask. I knew that she was supposed to be at the toddler’s preschool graduation, her daughter’s end-of-the year Brownie party, her son’s T-ball practice, and still hadn’t purchased a graduation gift for her nephew’s high school graduation the next night.

I just gently took her hand and led her away. They tell me she’ll be fine by September.