There are certain milestones in life that arrive with fanfare, cameras, and applause, yet somehow catch us completely unprepared. Watching my youngest child walk across the UCLA graduation stage last month was one of those moments. I had imagined it for years, of course, but when the day finally arrived, I found myself sitting quietly among thousands of families, overcome by emotions I hadn't anticipated. Pride was there, certainly. Relief was there too. Beneath those familiar feelings was something deeper—a realization that an entire chapter of motherhood was gently closing before my eyes. It was fine to exhale and extend the umbilical cord a little longer, once again.
As I watched my woman-child join a sea of graduates dressed in caps and gowns, I couldn't help but see flashes of every age and stage that had led to this moment: nursing her until age 3, the first day of kindergarten, the awkward middle school years, the late-night homework sessions, the dreams that changed (so many times), the disappointments that taught resilience, the victories both large and small. Parents spend years helping their children prepare to launch, yet when the launch finally happens, it feels both sudden and impossibly long in the making. I found myself smiling through tears, grateful not only for the degree earned but for the human being my child had become.
In recent years, it has sometimes felt difficult to remain optimistic about the future. Covid 19 kept my child in her room for school and for shelter-in-place for more than half of her high school experience. The headlines often pulled our attention toward division, uncertainty, and challenges that seemed larger than any one community could solve. Yet sitting there witnessing thousands of young adults ready to begin the next chapter of their lives, I felt something bloom inside of me. I saw curiosity, compassion, intelligence, and determination reflected in their faces. More importantly, I saw it reflected in my own child. Through their eyes, the future did not look frightening. It looked full of possibility. Their generation approaches old problems with fresh thinking and asks questions my generation never even thought to ask. They are not perfect, nor should they be expected to be. My daughter and son's generation carry a willingness, a can-do attitude, a determination, a grit... to imagine something better, and then to do something different and improved in order to solve the world's problems with a fresh perspective and with creativity beyond my wildest dreams. That gives me great hope.
As the ceremony ended and families gathered for photographs and hugs, I realized that graduation was not simply a celebration of academic achievement. It was an invitation to trust, to trust that the seeds planted over years of parenting, mentoring, teaching, and loving will continue to grow long after our direct guidance is needed (but still wanted and asked for, if we are lucky). Watching my last child graduate university reminded me that every generation hands the future to the next, not with certainty, but with faith. And on that beautiful day, through the eyes of my child and her classmates, I found my faith in the future renewed. The future felt optimistic, and for that, I am deeply grateful.
Sincerely,
KJ Landis
@superiorself on Instagram and X
@SuperiorSelf channel on YouTube
@superiorselfwithkjlandis on TikTok
[email protected]
Books available everywhere!
As I watched my woman-child join a sea of graduates dressed in caps and gowns, I couldn't help but see flashes of every age and stage that had led to this moment: nursing her until age 3, the first day of kindergarten, the awkward middle school years, the late-night homework sessions, the dreams that changed (so many times), the disappointments that taught resilience, the victories both large and small. Parents spend years helping their children prepare to launch, yet when the launch finally happens, it feels both sudden and impossibly long in the making. I found myself smiling through tears, grateful not only for the degree earned but for the human being my child had become.
In recent years, it has sometimes felt difficult to remain optimistic about the future. Covid 19 kept my child in her room for school and for shelter-in-place for more than half of her high school experience. The headlines often pulled our attention toward division, uncertainty, and challenges that seemed larger than any one community could solve. Yet sitting there witnessing thousands of young adults ready to begin the next chapter of their lives, I felt something bloom inside of me. I saw curiosity, compassion, intelligence, and determination reflected in their faces. More importantly, I saw it reflected in my own child. Through their eyes, the future did not look frightening. It looked full of possibility. Their generation approaches old problems with fresh thinking and asks questions my generation never even thought to ask. They are not perfect, nor should they be expected to be. My daughter and son's generation carry a willingness, a can-do attitude, a determination, a grit... to imagine something better, and then to do something different and improved in order to solve the world's problems with a fresh perspective and with creativity beyond my wildest dreams. That gives me great hope.
As the ceremony ended and families gathered for photographs and hugs, I realized that graduation was not simply a celebration of academic achievement. It was an invitation to trust, to trust that the seeds planted over years of parenting, mentoring, teaching, and loving will continue to grow long after our direct guidance is needed (but still wanted and asked for, if we are lucky). Watching my last child graduate university reminded me that every generation hands the future to the next, not with certainty, but with faith. And on that beautiful day, through the eyes of my child and her classmates, I found my faith in the future renewed. The future felt optimistic, and for that, I am deeply grateful.
Sincerely,
KJ Landis
@superiorself on Instagram and X
@SuperiorSelf channel on YouTube
@superiorselfwithkjlandis on TikTok
[email protected]
Books available everywhere!
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