If Your Sibling Didn't Come to Your Child's HS Graduation

[LuluLovesDisney]

Most graduations around here are on weeknights. It is impractical to expect people to travel for such an occasion, IMO, so it is not often that those not in immediate family attend. When I graduated high school, only one of my many aunts and uncles came to the graduation but most came to my party. My aunts who lived out of state didn't come to either.

It is really a nothing situation.

 

[ols386]

No, I don't think I'd be upset about the sister not attending the graduation.

You said she IS going to attend the graduation party/reception, and I think that's sufficient. Attending the graduation itself...she wouldn't really be able to spend much time with her niece anyway. I think the reception would be a less formal setting and she would be able to talk with the niece, and that type of thing.

 

[ols386]

that was hilarious. two thumbs up.

It was not funny at all. It was meant to be a snotty put-down, and that's exactly what it was.

 

[castleview]

Wouldn't bother me and I wouldn't blame anyone who didn't want to come.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

My Mom has 7 brothers and sisters and they all live within a 10 mile radius of us. I think only one came to my graduation (11 years ago) but I see them multiple times throughout the year. I have SO many cousins and graduating from high school just isn't a "big thing" I guess in our family. I didn't even want to go to my own graduation, I was ready to sleep in and hang out at the beach all summer.

They (my aunts and uncles) all pretty much came to the party held the afternoon of the graduation though.

 

[Anne34]

Our son's daughter is graduating tomorrow night from high school. His sister told me last night she wouldn't be able to come. It isn't a distance travel thing as she, like us, lives just about 10 miles from the town where our granddaughter is graduating. I don't know if she has to work (most days she works 8-5, but once or twice weekly she works 11-8) or if she doesn't have a sitter (she has a 6-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter). I didn't ask. It's not my place, and I won't get involved in it but I'm concerned DS is going to be hurt that his sister isn't there. And that DGD will be hurt that her aunt isn't there.

So, if it were you, would you be hurt or upset if your sibling didn't come to your child's graduation?

Our son and his ex-wife are having a graduation open house for their daughter next month, and our daughter does plan on going to that, if that makes any difference in your opinion of her missing the actual graduation ceremony.

Not at all -- only our immediate family is going to my DD's graduation next week. Her graduating class is around 750 kids and there isn't enough room for everyone. They usually do it in the stadium, but it is being renovated, so in the gym this year with only a couple tickets per family.

All of our families are invited to the graduation party in 3 weeks.

 

[mrsdon]

My sister nor my dad came to either one of my childrens graduation
I refused to go to my nephews
Too much family drama

 

[DWGal210]

I wouldn't be offended. In our family, there are so many cousins that if you went to every graduation, you'd go to 2-3 per year.

I personally view graduation as a thing for just the child & the parents. Heck, my brother graduated from college a few weeks away & I didn't go.

 

[fireflymedic]

I dont think a 17 or 18 yo cares who comes. Now how nice of a gift he gets, that he will rember

 

[EclecticWAHM]

Our son's daughter is graduating tomorrow night from high school. His sister told me last night she wouldn't be able to come. It isn't a distance travel thing as she, like us, lives just about 10 miles from the town where our granddaughter is graduating. I don't know if she has to work (most days she works 8-5, but once or twice weekly she works 11-8) or if she doesn't have a sitter (she has a 6-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter). I didn't ask. It's not my place, and I won't get involved in it but I'm concerned DS is going to be hurt that his sister isn't there. And that DGD will be hurt that her aunt isn't there.

So, if it were you, would you be hurt or upset if your sibling didn't come to your child's graduation?

Our son and his ex-wife are having a graduation open house for their daughter next month, and our daughter does plan on going to that, if that makes any difference in your opinion of her missing the actual graduation ceremony.

No, I would not be hurt or upset by this. It's a simple fact of like that folks we care about can't always or don't always want to come to every event that we think is important. It's great when relatives and friends CAN make it to such events, but frankly I think people get WAY too over-emotional when they get hurt and angry about this kind of stuff. It's just not worth getting upset over. Being supportive of loved ones can come in many different forms and just because someone can't or won't come to an event doesn't mean they don't care.

 

[EclecticWAHM]

]I think I'd need to know why she wasn't going before deciding.[/B] My husband didn't go to see his sisters high school graduation because he just started a new job and didn't want to ask for off. We missed another sister college graduation because of settlement on our house and DS had a field trip.

Another time we had to pick between the party or the Vermont and asked the person which they'd rather us attend and their answer was the party because they would skip graduation if they could lol.

I wouldn't need to know a reason at all. I look at it this way - we're all adults here and no one needs to give me a reason or excuse as to why they aren't coming to something I've invited them to. It's none of my business, really. It's this kind of thing that makes people think they have to come up with stories and whatnot to avoid hurt feelings. I wish people would just accept it when someone declines an invitation and not expect that they must have a reason that "passes" your requirements for being ok to miss something.

I'm all about avoiding pointless drama. Life is so much easier that way

 

[cntrygal]

I would be hurt, but that is just me. We also live in a very small, town our graduating class is usually around 50. We live in a merged district so the school covers 4 towns. Everyone goes to graduation. I dont have any family graduating but i will still, there hasnt been many i have missed in my entire life, when you live in a small town you know everybody, you just go, there will be nothing else going on in town that weekend at all. Of course our school is Pre-K to grade 12 in the same building, our enrollment is just over 600

 

[scrapquitler]

So, if it were you, would you be hurt or upset if your sibling didn't come to your child's graduation?

Not at all. It wouldn't register. I wouldn't expect my brother's at my kids graduations. If they want to come fine, if they don't want to come, no big deal.

In fact, in my area, anybody can go to the graduation, but if it rains, they hold it indoors, and each graduate only gets four tickets. Not even all the grandparents and siblings can go in that case. Whatever, not a big deal to me.

As an aunt, honestly, going to my nephews graduation, not exciting. He's graduating on the 29th, and I won't be going, but I will go to the party they are having for him on 4th of July weekend. Sitting thru two hours of speeches, just not very thrilling for me.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I am very close to all of my nieces and nephews, and I have never attended any of their graduation ceremonies. In fact, I've never even been invited to one.

Their parents and siblings were there, and maybe their grandparents, but no aunts, uncles or cousins. We (as in myself, DH and DS) go to their parties, but no ceremonies. My niece is graduating H.S. in June, but I don't even know the date. We will attend her party though, in a couple of weeks.

 

[CdnCarrie]

None of my aunts and uncles came to any of my grads.

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

When I graduated high school, only my mom, step dad, step mom, dad, and sister were in attendance. And it certainly didn't bother me one bit that other family members were not there either.

 

[Becky2005]

No and considering they restrict how many tickets a person can get...I wouldn't expect my sibling to be there.

 

[Liberty Belle]

My oldest doesn't graduate until next year, but it wouldn't bother me in the least. I know often seating is limited, anyway.

 

[DisneyFirefly]

My brother dropped out, so we weren't at his. My sister was expelled and then dropped out, so we weren't at hers.

I graduated, but in a class of 980 seniors, there was extreme restriction on the amount of tickets you got. You got two and if you needed more, you were put into a raffle and had to pay for the extra tickets. I managed to get one from a friend who had a single parent, so it was my parents and my uncle. We also graduated during the school day, not at night.

 

[MiniGirl]

Truthfully, I wouldn't give it a secong thought. I have 3 brothers and, IIRC, only one went to my graduation. No biggie.