“My baby, you’re in the world. This is the world! Just drink it all in. Ask questions and mighty forces will come to your aid. Life is good even at its worst.” – Pamela Adelon
Four years ago, we sat down to write a letter to our son and his graduating class and cried through every single draft. I’m not sure this one will be any different.
Here we are again, it’s June, and through a sea of caps and gowns belonging to kids who somehow became adults while we were busy blinking, we see our daughter and her peers. The Class of 2026. Our kids.
We won’t even try to pretend the world you’re inheriting is in good shape. It isn’t. You know that better than anyone, because you’ve grown up watching it crack and strain to an immeasurable degree. You’ve scrolled through more heartbreak before breakfast than most generations saw in a lifetime. And yet, here you are. Curious. Fierce. And still showing up.
That’s not nothing. That’s everything.
You are not the generation that broke things, but you are the generation that will refuse to leave them broken. And while we, your parents, your neighbors, your people, may not always know how to fix what’s gone sideways in this world, we have absolute, unshakeable faith that you will figure it out in ways we can’t yet imagine. You always have.
So, go. Make mistakes and learn their names. Love people who are nothing like you. Ask the questions that make people uncomfortable. Rest when you need to. Fight when it matters. And please, for the love of everything, wear your seatbelt, drink water, and call your mom.
We are so proud of you it physically hurts.
Your neighbors,
Shaleen and Sam DeStefano