Recently I found myself in panic mode when I realized that my oldest son will graduate from High School next year. He keeps reminding me is the simplest ways that he will be off to College next year.
The SAT, ACT have been taken and all of the colleges are sending him pamphlets. He says things like: next time I will (Oh, there won’t be a next time), or at this time next year I will be so relieved to be done and how about, I am so ready to be out of here. This is all natural and part of the growing up process I have to remind myself.
Some of my friends reminded me that this is a time to be cherished. Not for me, but for him. I have been looking for ways that I can celebrate along with him, ways that will last long after the celebration of graduation is over. Ways that as a mother and son we can look back and celebrate the progression of our lives. Ways that we can celebrate the “becoming” of who we are supposed to become.
I had to enjoy a good laugh as my daughter shared this experience. She has a friend that has a mother that is one of the most popular teachers at the High School they attend. On this girls birthday her mother brought a camera and started taking pictures of everything and everyone at the school. She pulled lots of different groups of people together to take pictures. These shots are priceless. As I look at them on Facebook, I can see the embarrassment on this girls face as her mother tells everyone to smile for the camera. I can see that everyone else in the picture is enjoying being caught in a shot that will become a very fun memory for this girl and her mother in the future. I decided immediately that since my husband also works at the school that I would have him do this on our kids birthdays. What a fabulous way to preserve 
memories. Now, I realize that not everyone has a parent that works at the school. Why not have a trusted friend of your child’s take pictures around campus that day. Then you can put a terrific birthday scrapbook together for your child. I think that this is a fabulous way of celebrating.
My son also is going through sadness over that fact that most of his best friends that are a year older than he is will be graduating this year. I half jokingly remind him that this just 
gives him a greater opportunity to meet and date the younger girls. As would be expected, this only gives him small comfort. His very best friend for the past six years has been a girl that will graduate and is moving away right after High School. I know that his heart will be empty without her constant positive attitude, priceless ability to make him feel important, and her creative mind that seems have an endless amount of fun activities that she plans and includes so many people in.
She gave me a great idea of how to celebrate with him. For Christmas this year she brought him a collage of pictures of them together. She included many different activities. One of my favorites was the picture of him escorting her (the Homecoming Queen) as she took her royal walk down the isle in front to the school. Another was a picture of a group of them making cookies. Another picture was disappointing to me as I couldn’t tell what it was, but he quickly explained the memory to me. The picture was dark and I could only see shadows, but it was obviously a fun memory for him as he knew just what it was. (One idea fix your photos – get some training for that!)
As a mom I began thinking that it is important for us “moms” to remind our 
kids to take lots of pictures of their High School Activities. That way, these celebrations will be preserved and there will be enough pictures that we won’t have to count on the shadowy ones. Maybe, however, if we do have a shadowy picture, we can lighten it with our Photoshop magic. I am going to give it a try.
This year I will make sure my son has a camera on hand, cell phones work well. I am also going to start the celebration pictures earlier with my other children.
Hopefully this article will give you a couple of new ideas to help you celebrate who you and your children are becoming.
Smile for the camera!
Happy Graduation, and Scrapping!
Denise
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Graduation and Digital Scrapbooking!
Start Digitally Scrapbooking your Graduation Photos!
Get ready for graduation with these kits and digital resources. Don’t wait a moment more if you have someone graduating soon.
Digitally scrap pages for your special Grad and Graduation-Themed projects with the Graduation Digital Scrapbooking Kit!
The Graduation Digital Scrapbooking Kit is filled with digital papers decorated with adorable Graduation Caps and Diplomas. Use this kit to create your own 
personalized Yearbook and cherish hardworking graduates with well-deserved, memory gift books and personalized photo albums.
Personalize Graduation photos to create a Digital Scrapbooking Page or Project perfect for remembering a very important day for a very special person!
Also you might want to add some WordArt to your graduation projects!
Use the beautiful bronze WordArt within 
this School WordArt kit to decorate school photos, class activity photos, and all your back-to-school digital scrapbooking pages! Use the bronze-brushed WordArt for the start of the year, as well as graduation!
Have a wonderful Graduation!!!!
Start scrapping your special school memories and the big graduation day too!
Get Graduation Supplies for Digital Scrapbooking Graduation Projects
Digitally scrap pages for your special Grad and Graduation-Themed projects with the Graduation Digital Scrapbooking Kit! Personalize Graduation photos to create a Digital Scrapbooking Page or Project perfect for remembering a very important day for a very special person! This Scrap Kit has 12×12″ digital paper!
The Graduation Digital Scrapbooking Kit is filled with digital papers decorated with adorable Graduation Caps and Diplomas. Use this kit to create your own personalized Yearbook and cherish hardworking graduates with well-deserved, memory gift books and personalized photo albums.
Get Graduation Custom Brushes
The “Graduation” Custom Brushes are a super-fun set of digital brushes, perfect for Digital Scrapbooking Pages dedicated to remembering that special Grad in your life and all of their accomplishments!
Custom Brushes are just one of the many exciting things to do when Digital Scrapbooking within Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Custom Brushes can be used as a digital version of a rubber stamp, and can be “stamped” on Digital Scrapbook Projects as adorable embellishments!
Special Note: If you would like more detail on how to use and install custom brushes please see our training in ~ Photoshop or in Photoshop Elements .
Digitally scrap all of your school activities with the Back to School WordArt 
Kit for Digital Scrapbooking. Use the Back to School WordArt Kit to add extra detail and complete your pages with school-inspired sayings!
Use the beautiful bronze WordArt within this kit to decorate school photos, class activity photos, and all your back-to-school digital scrapbooking pages! Use the bronze-brushed WordArt for the start of the year, as well as graduation!
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