My wife just told me that I need to get flowers for our daughter

[NewJeffCT]

because she is graduating kindergarten today.

Is this common? I don't remember girls getting flowers when I was a kid, but I probably didn't notice, either. Maybe for the prom in high school, but not otherwise?

[bigwillq]

1. My mom got my sister

a corsage, from both nursery school and kindergarten.

[DarkTirade]

2. Just make sure you check for bees first.

They like flowers. :scared:

[MrsBrady]

3. for kindergarten?? n/t

[Midlodemocrat]

4. She's right.

Because you don't want to be the only one without flowers.

[NewJeffCT]

5. Any recommendations?

for flowers?

[Midlodemocrat]

6. I think one pink rose would be perfect.

But, I'm partial to roses. When TM graduated last week, we got her a dozen red roses from us and her sister and brother gave her lilies.

[NewJeffCT]

11. pink would look good

because their graduation gowns are red, and she'll have on a white dress underneath.

[Whoa_Nelly]

20. Or pink and/or white carnations

Kids love the smell of carnations

[Whoa_Nelly]

41. Adding...

nothing...right reply to wrong forum :eyes:

[DS1]

7. as if they'd remember

Can you fail Kindergarten? No.

[NewJeffCT]

9. well, several kids in her class

will be repeating kindergarten next year.

[DS1]

12. hahahahaa

omg

cue the "But she's gifted!" replies

[Midlodemocrat]

14. Hey, BabyMidlo IS gifted.

A total moran in terms of her chores, but tests very high. :rofl:

[NewJeffCT]

16. A few people told me

That people sometimes intentionally hold their kids back in kindergarten so they'll be more advanced than other 1st graders, and it will also help them out when it comes to playing sports and the like as well because they'll be a year older down the road in middle school & high school as well.

I think that is the case with at least a few of the kids not going on to first grade - I'm sure with so many kids in her class being children of doctors and dentists (You can walk to a very large hospital from there...) that it is more likely the kids were being held back by the parents.

[Midlodemocrat]

17. That's a huge deal here as well.

I don't like the trend, actually. I didn't want my son to be the only one shaving in 7th grade.

[NewJeffCT]

23. I started shaving in 8th grade

but, I'm half Italian, so that is not uncommon.

:freak:

My daughter is actually the youngest in her kindergarten class of 20, and there are two that are almost exactly a year older than her.

[JVS]

52. I knew a kid who was held back so that he'd have a better chance of being QB

[jobycom]

60. There's also the No Child Left Behind syndrome

Teachers push parents to hold back students who they are afraid won't be ready for the TEST in third grade, since their bonuses are tied to the test results. If the child can't read by the end of KG, they start worrying about those bonuses. Has little to do with how smart the child is, needless to say, only with whether the teachers have taught them to read adequately.

[Critters2]

25. I always tested very high. Fat lot of good it did me. nt

[JVS]

51. Those losers couldn't hack it, eh?

[AlCzervik]

8. some nice Gerber Daisies, those are pretty and you can get them in fun colors.

just a fun flower and perfect for someone her age.

[Shell Beau]

10. I sent some to my 6 year old niece at school. Each of the students

get a week where it is "their" week. So, for her week, I sent her some flowers. She was so excited.

[malta blue]

13. A single carnation is what I did for the Little MB. nt

[LeftyMom]

15. I'm still thrown that they get gowns.

When I "graduated" from kindy, we made our own hats out of construction paper, and the only parents who showed up were the few who didn't work in the middle of the day, and for heaven's sake nobody got a bouquet. Somehow, we managed to go on to the first grade anyhow.

[Critters2]

22. We didn't graduate from kindergarten. It was just the end of the year.

No ceremony or anything. I think kindergarten graduations are silly.

[NewJeffCT]

24. I think my graduations were

middle school, high school and college.

[Critters2]

30. Same here. And my mother thought 8th grade graduation was silly,

so I didn't get a party or anything. My folks took us all out to dinner before "commencement", and that was it. No gifts or anything. But I made out like a bandit at Confirmation a few weeks earlier.

[AlCzervik]

26. they wear gowns now?

when my kid graduated from kindergarten she had on what she always wore and we brought a small thing of flowers for her teacher.

Gowns?

[MrsBrady]

56. i remember...

I had a little "pageant" with kids reciting poems and singing songs...but
they didn't call it a graduation.

and we just wore "sunday best" type clothes.

[grasswire]

62. gowns??????????

Are you kidding???

[ElsewheresDaughter]

18. then you had better do it...women know....mothers know more

[NewJeffCT]

19. I wasn't going to not do it

Just wanted to know how common the practice was.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

32. it is getting to be more common lately...but I did it in 1976 for my daughter

[snacker]

21. That would be a sweet gesture.

One perfect pink rose for your daughter would be perfect. I never got kindergarten graduation gifts for my four children, but it's been awhile and maybe that's the "new" thing.

[KitchenWitch]

27. UM, that seems a little over the top to me.

I am a mother of a girl who just finished first grade. I am buying flowers for my daughter to give to her after her dance recital next week.

[demmiblue]

28. I always get a special gift for my child at the end of each school year...

I don't believe in paying for grades, but I think that an 'end of the school year' token is a nice gesture to acknowledge an important milestone in life.

[npincus]

29. Mine graduated from kindergarten yesterday!!! Congrats!

Flowers are nice... some of the girls got flowers. I gave my daughter a little "Hooked on Phonics" gadget that she loves. I thinkyour daughter will love her flowers! If that's what your wife thinks she'd like, then that's the right choice.



My girl!

[Midlodemocrat]

31. She's adorable.

[npincus]

33. thank you!

Yesterday she told me I was on the computer all the time, so I'd better cut down! :)

[AlCzervik]

34. what a little pumpkin, she's so cute!

Gah i miss having a little one around the house. Congratulations to her. Can i ask what book that is, that's a pretty cool illustration of a whale.

[npincus]

58. Why, thank you!

The story is Dr. Seuss' "McGilligot's Pool"... it's a Seussian riff on all the things the little boy thinks he can find in a small pool of water after a guy mocks him for fishing there. The illustrations are fantastic, of course. The book is a compilation of some Suess' favorite stories wth a lot of interesting biographical info about him. Funny, I never read that one as a kid, but was introduced to it through mine! Ava, my daughter, loves everything Suess!

She's growing up so fast (cliche, but so true).... :)

[NewJeffCT]

43. what a cutie

Congrats to you as well. Mine loves books, too, and I'm happy that she likes reading to me now.

Here is my daughter from Halloween:

[npincus]

57. she is GORGEOUS.... looks a bit older than your

typical kindergartener! What kind of garb is that? Looks Mongolian (?). My daughter is 1/2 Japannese- hubby is from Japan.

My daughter is into the "Junie B" series now, reads voraciously. I just received a book I got her on Amazon marketplace: Edward Lear's "Book of Nonsense"- limericks. I hope she likes it!

Best of luck w/your little doll, and congratulations again! :)

[NewJeffCT]

64. The garb is Disney

It's what Elizabeth Swann wore in the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie (when they visited Singapore)

And, my daughter is the youngest in her class.

[npincus]

71. It's pretty.

My daughter has a kimono but it's a little big- maybe next year's Halloween costume.

[NewJeffCT]

73. We have a bunch of Chinese-style "Qi Pao" dresses for her

but, they're kind of lightweight & summery, not really good for a chilly New England halloween.

[Midlodemocrat]

59. Aw, little NewJeffCT is soooo cute.

[NewJeffCT]

66. Thanks

Luckily, she takes after MrsNewJeffCT in the looks department, though I hope she gets my 20-20 vision...

[Carnea]

35. According to Kindergarten Graduation Magazine the average family spends 12,000 dollars

to celebrate this special day.... You don't want to be below average do you????

[NewJeffCT]

37. Are you sure it's not $12?

$12,000?

I think my first marriage (ceremony + reception) cost less than that, and we had about 100 people.

[Carnea]

42. I was being sarcastic... If you ever read those news reports on the

average wedding graduation party prom date prices ect....

[NewEnglandGirl]

36. Yes, for graduations, recitals, braces off etc.

Some pink carnations or roses would be really nice, the wristlets are nice because they can wear them.:)

[JVS]

38. Why you? Why not let her get the kid the flowers?

[NewJeffCT]

44. She's driving home from New Jersey

and won't have time to get them.

[NewEnglandGirl]

45. Little girls

like to get things like that from their daddies. :-)

[NewJeffCT]

46. she is certainly

a daddy's girl, too.

[NewEnglandGirl]

48. That is really

nice to hear. I'm sure her eyes will light up when you give them to her. :loveya:

[hedgehog]

39. Tell your wife that you support Obama and take a stand against

graduation inflation. Congratulate your daughter, shake her hand and tell her you expect her to do well next year in 1st grade!

[Carnea]

49. His daughter has refused public financing...

Sorry couldn't help the snark.

[JVS]

40. Give her some candy instead.

[Oeditpus Rex]

47. I don't understand the whole Graduation Phenomenon

No, wait — I do. It's an extension of the Every-Kid-In-Little-League-Gets-a-Trophy-Even-If-They-Hit-.023 Phenomenon.

[JVS]

50. Yeah. It's not as though finishing Kindergarten is going to make her employable!

[Oeditpus Rex]

53. Oh, I dunno

They could ship her to China...









:hide:

[JVS]

54. It takes little fingers to make some of those fireworks!

[NewJeffCT]

55. eh

my wife knows how to get the good jobs in China, so I think we'll hold off for now.

[grasswire]

65. that is something...

...called the tyranny of the mediocre. I believe it's very damaging to our youth over the long run. You can see it on those talent shows where even the most untalented are furious at not being chosen #1. "You're wrong! I'll show you some day!"

(Sorry. Don't mean to hijack a thread.)

[Oeditpus Rex]

68. We did this a coupla weeks ago

It was... not pretty.

[Left Is Write]

72. I don't really either.

Though every kindergartener at my kids' school gets a certificate of completion. I don't know. Maybe it's because kindergarten is still optional here.

(BTW - my nephew is batting .750 in one of his leagues. I hope you are as impressed by that as I am! He's 13.)

[grasswire]

61. oh bother

I think this is a problem; the devaluing of reward for a child by giving it younger and younger and younger. What is left for them when they graduate high school? A boob job, I guess that's the trend. I saw an article the other day about kids getting limos and fancy dinners to celebrate middle school graduations.

How about going out for ice cream afterwards?

[UndertheOcean]

63. At that age, a toy would be appreciated more by her

let her have fun ,flowers for a little girl , how booooring for her.!

[grasswire]

69. ever the cynic......

...I think this trend toward earlier and more "celebrations" with flowers is engineered by the florist industry.

Aside from the fact that it is horrible for the planet (where are those roses grown? probably on land that used to feed native peoples) it is like the six figure weddings. So 1990s.

[NewJeffCT]

70. well, I got criticized last year

around this time when I didn't bring her flowers after her big dance recital because all the other girls got flowers.

[grasswire]

74. it's not your fault

....but I'm sure you can see the point of escalating trends like this.

You sound like a wonderful father. :-) Enjoy these sweet years with your girlie.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

67. Just give her a nice single rose, or perhaps a couple of pretty carnations.

Nothing expensive at all but something nice-looking and "special." :)