--- title: "A GRADUATION SPEECH – FOR PARENTS | Dr. Harley Rotbart Blog" description: "As your high school grads move on this fall to college campuses or work lives, you deserve a celebration of your own. And if your kids are still young and in the nest, I want to help you look ahead to that day when your kids enter the…" lang: en json-ld: | { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BlogPosting", "headline": "A GRADUATION SPEECH – FOR PARENTS", "description": "As your high school grads move on this fall to college campuses or work lives, you deserve a celebration of your own. And if your kids are still young and in the nest, I want to help you look ahead to that day when your kids enter the…", "articleBody": "As your high school grads move on this fall to college campuses or work lives, you deserve a celebration of your own. And if your kids are still young and in the nest, I want to help you look ahead to that day when your kids enter the next phase of their lives, and you enter the next phase of yours.\n\nMy book, “No Regrets Parenting – Turning Long Days and Short Years into Cherished Moments with Your Kids” (the Updated and Expanded Second Edition), guides you in reaching THE moment when the kids leave home, no matter how soon or far away that may be.\n\nSo…here’s the Graduation Speech I hope you’ll be able to give when that happens, because by practicing No Regrets Parenting from crib to graduation, this is how I want you to feel:\n\n“Dear Friends, Family, and Honored Guests:\n\nI’ve done it!\n\nMy kids are in college or out in the world!\n\nI raised wonderful children who love their parents and know their parents.\n\nI turned countless childhood minutes, hours, days, and weeks that would have otherwise been lost in the name of efficiency into special moments that I’ll cherish forever.\n\nI was there with them every chance I had, and I created chances to be with them that I never imagined I could.\n\nAnd as reward for my commitment, passion, and love, I can now pass by their empty bedrooms, feeling fond nostalgia and missing them terribly. But what a blessing it is to feel No Regrets!\n\nThe days were long, the years were short, and the time I had with them was then. But I made the time and I took the time.\n\nNow it’s my time.\n\nI’ve earned it.”\n\nCONGRATULATIONS!!!", "datePublished": "2021-10-04", "dateModified": "2021-10-04", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dr. Harley Rotbart", "url": "https://harleyrotbart.com", "jobTitle": "Pediatrician, Author, Parenting Expert" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dr. Harley Rotbart", "url": "https://harleyrotbart.com" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://harleyrotbart.com/blog/a-graduation-speech-for-parents-3" }, "wordCount": 275, "timeRequired": "PT1M", "articleSection": "life-lessons" } --- [Harley Rotbart, M.D. Author • Pediatrician • Grandfather ](/) [Books](/books) [Blog](/blog)[About](/about) [Contact](/#contact) [Back to Blog](/blog)life lessons # A GRADUATION SPEECH – FOR PARENTS October 4, 2021 1 min read As your high school grads move on this fall to college campuses or work lives, you deserve a celebration of your own. And if your kids are still young and in the nest, I want to help you look ahead to that day when your kids enter the next phase of their lives, and you enter the next phase of yours. My book, “No Regrets Parenting – Turning Long Days and Short Years into Cherished Moments with Your Kids” (the Updated and Expanded Second Edition), guides you in reaching THE moment when the kids leave home, no matter how soon or far away that may be. So…here’s the Graduation Speech I hope you’ll be able to give when that happens, because by practicing No Regrets Parenting from crib to graduation, this is how I want you to feel: “Dear Friends, Family, and Honored Guests: I’ve done it! My kids are in college or out in the world! I raised wonderful children who love their parents and know their parents. I turned countless childhood minutes, hours, days, and weeks that would have otherwise been lost in the name of efficiency into special moments that I’ll cherish forever. I was there with them every chance I had, and I created chances to be with them that I never imagined I could. And as reward for my commitment, passion, and love, I can now pass by their empty bedrooms, feeling fond nostalgia and missing them terribly. But what a blessing it is to feel No Regrets! The days were long, the years were short, and the time I had with them was then. But I made the time and I took the time. Now it’s my time. I’ve earned it.” CONGRATULATIONS!!! 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