You’ve only just begun

      Children graduating from Kinder 1 perform a nursery dance number. –
      Picture  courtesy of EMMA P VALENCIA

By EMMA P VALENCIA, MD

YESTERDAY I attended my grandnephew’s graduation from Kinder I.

I arrived late and the kids were already being called onstage, one by one,  to receive their certificates and medals.

Each of the ten students had a “Best in .. “ medal. Everybody was an honor student.

A dance number followed, to the tune of  the hymnal  Hawak Kamay (Hold My Hand).  

The kids held hands, formed a circle, and when they raised their collective hands up in the air, some hands hit the stage curtain, and down it went, like humpty dumpty, to the shrieking laughter of the kids, and to the open-mouthed horror of the teachers.

After a while when everything was ok again, the program continued .

The boy who got First Honors read his graduation piece in monotone, which nobody listened to anyway, except his parents who were on their knees in front of the stage taking pictures of their kid in various angles, clapping their hands after his performance (subtext: my, my how smart my kid is).

Another dance number followed.

The kids pushed their hands in front, then on the side , bent their arms and shook their shoulders, while tapping their feet and jumping to the tune of Katy Perry’s “Firework” - a  rising- from-the-cocoon song, with the hallelujah – like refrain: “ignite the light, and let it shine, just own the  night , like the fourth of July!”. 

It’s great and heartwarming to see these children laugh, have fun, dance in a most unself-conscious way - savoring all the things happening around them,  their singing and dancing and the company of their classmates  -  in pristine joy.

After Kinder I, my grandnephew still needs to enrol in Kidner II, and hopefully, he gets to finish Grade I.  Hopefully, because I think he has some behavioral problems that need to be addressed.

While he can cope with playschool, he may have a hard time coping with structured activities required of higher grades.

His life is still unfolding, and he may face more struggles than other children, so I hope I can help him prepare for his journey, build up his inner resources so he can take on whatever life has to deal him, and through my actions and decisions, help make this world a little kinder and gentler for him, and for his friends.