Baby steps into adulthood

Saturday, June 28, was a hallmark day for hundreds of young men and women throughout the Harlem Valley. On that day the North East (Webutuck), Pine Plains and Millbrook central school districts all held their graduation ceremonies — promoting high school seniors to high school graduates. The transition might have seemed to take place in an instant, but it was 13 years in the making.Since they were young tykes the new graduates have been taught the basics in elementary, middle and high school. Those who excelled were challenged further, those who struggled, hopefully, were given extra support. Though now strapping young men and women, it took years of grooming and modeling in what was undoubtedly a difficult and painful social hierarchy for some to learn how to be comfortable in their own skins and how to be relaxed around others. That skill is something they’ll continue to learn and strive to perfect as they walk through life. Ideally their schools — teachers, administrators, other staff and personnel — provided the tools necessary to help our young graduates negotiate in the dog-eat-dog world that awaits them. It won’t be easy after walking off that stage with diploma in hand and out into the real world. There will be bosses to answer to, bills to pay, families to support — real world stressors beyond what they might have experienced in the classroom or in the schoolyard — perhaps greater than what they anticipated.But their years in academia have not been in vain. The social skills they have been culling throughout their time in the school system, both from watching their teachers and other role models, from their peers, and from their parents at home, will all come into play as they venture out on their own. Let’s hope they’ll have a strong sense of self, and a strong sense of right and wrong and a strong sense of reality as they make their way through their adult lives. Again, that will come with time and experience and with openness to learning.Graduation is a milestone in a young person’s life. It is the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Whether heading off to college or trade school, the work force or the Armed Forces, graduates will have to learn how to depend less on others and more on themselves. Ideally their years between kindergarten and twelfth grade have equipped them with enough common sense, intellectual curiosity and critical thinking to make good decisions, stay safe and behave appropriately.Though it’s hard to witness our young ones grow independent — and perhaps less reliant on us in the meantime — that is exactly what’s supposed to happen. Be there with support, with love and with guidance. Remember, they will continue to model their behavior from those around them, so act properly and speak wisely. Most of all, wish the members of the class of 2014 well as they embark on their passage from high school to the real world – it shan’t be easy, but that which is worthwhile rarely is. And to all graduates, congratulations, best of luck as you step into your future.