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One Big Party
My stepson is "promoting" from 8th grade soon. Kids don't graduate from 8th grade anymore, they are now "promoted" to high school. Usually after the promotion ceremony, families take thier beaming child out to dinner to celebrate with loved ones. My stepson has LOTS of loved ones. In addition to mom and dad, he's got stepmom (me), stepdad, 5 gradparents, 2 step grandparents, 1 great grandpa, 4 uncles, 3 aunts, and 5 cousins. That makes for a large table at a restaurant. In order to avoid a hostess' meltdown trying to seat us all somewhere (not to mention a huge dinner bill), my husband and I have volunteered our house for the celebration dinner. All of us, the whole blended family, in one backyard. Some of my co-workers think I'm crazy for having my husband's ex-wife and her side of the family over to my house. But I'm not the one promoting from middle school. This isn't about me. It's about my stepson. This party is for him. And besides, his mom's side of the family are a ton fun to be around. I should know because I've been around them for the past 7 years at all my stepkid's soccer games, talent shows, choir concerts, and birthday celebrations. There are some things we celebrate separately, like Christmas, Easter, and other holidays. But my stepson is only going to have one promotion ceremony, so we'll all celebrate with him together. Because we are all his family. 8 comments from 7 users
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posted by
hmoeckli
on Apr 22, 2008 at 04:57 PM
posted by
lokiyo
on Apr 23, 2008 at 07:21 AM
You are a wonderful stepmom. You're right, your stepson should be able to celebrate his big day with ALL of the people who love him and kudos to you for recognizing that and making his needs a priority. I'm sure his mother's family appreciates your graciousness as well.
posted by
NoshNBasket
on Apr 23, 2008 at 09:56 AM
more moms need to be like you. I get along great with my step boys mom. What ever happend in the past is in the past. the kids need to feel same and secure. I also now get along with my childrens step mom.. confused? LOL
posted by
suprizmom
on Apr 23, 2008 at 10:28 AM
It is a great idea, I had my ex and his wife and children and my ex in-laws to both high school graduation party's for my son and daughter and everything was fine.. .and the kids were very happy to have "the whole" family all together.... have a great time and remember that it is a day for the kid.
posted by
kellimwheeler
on Apr 23, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Kudos to you step-mom for being there to support your stepson and setting a great example. But I gotta get this off my chest. This whole 8th grade promotion/graduation thing has gotten out of hand. My niece is having an 8th grade graduation and we won't be postponing our Disneyland trip for it. I'll go to her high school graduation to honor her hard work. I will go to her college graduation to honor her accomplishment. But to graduate from 8th grade is an expectation not a celebration. What happened to a nice 8th grade dance as a send off to high school?
posted by
creatress
on Apr 23, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Wow! That sounds great!Here in Davis schools they're in JHS till 9th grade, so luckily I have 1 more year to worry about a big party! YAY! Have a wonderful time. posted by
hmoeckli
on Apr 23, 2008 at 01:08 PM
Yeah, I also think the promotion thing can get a little bonkers. I like the idea of having a party, a dance, something like that to celebrate. (Surviving middle school is quite an accomplishment.) When I taught middle school, parents would go crazy over promotion. CRAZY. Some wouldn't care about anything school-related for two years, but when promotion rolled around, they would throw a fit when their child couldn't "walk the stage" because he or she didn't make the 1.5 GPA requirement. It was frustrating, to say the least. Kind off the point of your original post. Oops. Have a great party. :) posted by
crzkb
on Apr 23, 2008 at 09:05 PM
I'm actually a middle school teacher, and it used to get crazy for the promotion dance. Kids would dress formally and have "dates" to the dance - very out of hand. I'm not even kidding! They've since changed the dance to a beach theme, so everyone wears shorts and sandles. It's even "against the rules" to dress formally now, everything is verry casual. Thanks for all the nice comments. I'm sure I'll be asking you guys for party tips once the big day comes around!
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My parents divorced two years ago, and I'm insistent that my daughter's birthday be a whole family event. I'm not giving three different parties to accommodate the "adults" in my life. I can tell, though, that my mom, especially, is not happy about it. But you're right, these events are not about us, they're about the children.
I hope you have a great time!