A Special Graduation

On May 23, 2012 my daughter Kay graduated from Pre-K from the on campus school where I attend college and I celebrated her graduation with a cake and special present from her father and me. I wanted her graduation to be special, not only because she finished Pre-K but because Kay had finished three years at my college. She started out going to daycare as a 2-year-old all because I wanted to pursue my dream of completing my degree. My daughter sacrificed a lot these past three years; there were times when we went out in all types of weather, she had to learn how to adjust to having someone other than a familiar face watch her and to even mommy being swamped with college work. (And sometimes not being a very nice mommy).

I received a lot of criticism from people as to why I enrolled my daughter in school so young; people automatically assumed my mom should be watching her as opposed to strangers. I was nervous about leaving her too; I didn’t know how she would react. However, she has learned a lot in those three years. She learned how to spell, is learning how to read and she gained valuable skills. She has become more empathetic towards people and she is an excellent sharer. I don’t regret enrolling her in the on-campus facilities because while she learned so much, I have been able to make my dream of getting a degree a reality. It’s been a hard task juggling my various roles as mother, wife and student but Allahumdulillah it has been working out. I’m one year away from finishing my degree and I owe it all to my husband and daughter. They both never complained.

Kay is starting kindergarten in September and it’s going to be weird taking the train to college without my partner. But I know that in her “big-girl school,” as she likes to call it, she will be gaining even more valuable lessons.

Miriam Mahmood

Miriam Mahmood is a wife and mother to an almost 5 year old girl who is on her way to kindergarten. Miriam is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree and lives in Brooklyn, NY.