You are absolutely not going to Greece with your friends. You are some entitled brat for thinking that.
That’s how my parents responded when I brought up my plan to take a senior trip this summer after graduation.
Their word choice stuck with me. My mom said: Entitled. Entitled, by definition, would mean that I believe I am owed a senior trip due to my privilege and high worthiness. I am not. I admit it, I have privilege. Most people in the community of Piedmont do. Lots of families in Piedmont can afford to send their kids on a fancy vacation with their friends to some exotic destination, like Hawaii, Europe, and Lake Tahoe. But privilege does not equate to entitlement. No family is obligated to pay for such a trip. If a freshly graduated young adult had their senior trip handed to them, they wouldn’t learn any valuable lessons, such as monetary value.
However, this is not enough of a reason for parents to deny a senior trip. If a Piedmont graduate is privileged enough to be able to go on a senior trip, they should be able to work for that luxury without being entitled to it. There are ways that a senior trip can be made valuable if the recent graduate is willing to work hard to make it happen.
For example, independence. If a recently graduated 18-year-old is serious about going on a senior trip, they can work a job to pay for it themselves, teaching discipline and the value of hard work. I am currently working two jobs for 10+ hours every week to afford my trip. Also, the planning aspects allow for a huge amount of responsibility for young adults to gain.
Parents staying out of the trip allows for the recent graduates to gain this responsibility. While many parents would prefer to send their kid to an all inclusive resort, this does not have as beneficial results as a self made trip. In my experience with my trip to some of the Greek islands, my friends and I have had to take the time to choose our islands, find hotels, plan dates, find affordable plane tickets, and budget money. These are important life skills that I had no idea how to do. Now, after planning my senior trip, I have far more life experience that makes me feel more prepared for adulthood.
Additionally, traveling allows for recent graduates to experience new cultures and see perspectives different from their own. A young adult who plans and makes the trip happen for themself will gain far more value from the experience than staying home and understanding the meaning of “entitlement.”
No doubt, entitlement is a valid concern. Many parents are willing to hand a senior trip to their kids, and this can perpetuate the entitlement stereotype many Piedmont students supposedly have. This results in these young adults not understanding the meaning of hard work. Parents can counter this in a few different ways. For one, they can make their kid pay for their trip. Another way would be to compromise—parents purchase the plane tickets and accommodations, while their kid budgets their own money towards food, activities, and spending. A final way would be if the parent was set on paying for the trip in full for their kid. While it encourages the entitlement aspect, the best way to ensure the trip remains beneficial is to let the recent graduate plan the trip themself. That way, even without their own monetary concerns, they still get the hands-on experience of finding plane tickets, accommodations, and planning their trip for themself.
We are crossing the border from adolescence to adulthood. It is time for our hands to not be held every step of the way. Stop prohibiting young adults from experiencing the real world at their own expense for the reason of “entitlement”. Piedmont teenagers may come from a background of privilege, but I believe that if a senior trip can be worked for, it should be allowed to be achievable.
