Kids Need Guardrails

When adults expect kids --yes, they are young adults, but still kids-- to plan large undertakings with no experience doing so, it's always a chaotic mess. Always. Whether it's senior trip, winter carnival, prom, or graduation, letting the participants make the decisions and take care of the details means something critical gets forgotten and feelings are hurt, and thus the event is tarnished for everyone. 

The kindest and wisest thing adults can do for kids is put up the guardrails. That way, they can learn how to do these big things without crashing and burning us all. In our society, even most weddings are not that formal, and few people know how to do these events well. How, then, do some adults expect that kids can do this monumental task? Some things should be standard: Pomp and Circumstance, graduation gown colors, the expected format of the ceremony should not be negotiable. There are enough other parts of the event that can be personalized to reflect the wishes of the graduating class. Otherwise, the chaos continues until moments beforehand, when all of the parents and guests are waiting. Ugliness often ensues. Same with the senior trip: the date should be pre-set, not open to moveability and negotiation. So many feelings get hurt, kids get fighting, and no one wants to go except the few who can actually make it. If the date is set, it's expected. That way, families, sports, other activities and teachers can plan around it. 

The excuse is "o, it's always like this every year" is a stupid thing to use as a reason for so much drama. Set it in stone. Choose a weekend that will hereafter be known as "senior trip weekend," and then they can work toward it, form a budget, figure out where they want to go, etc. It's always a messy process, and it's hard on everyone. 

We all need some parameters, and it's the job of the overseeing adults to show kids how to do things within them. 

Thanks for coming to my rant. 

C