S/O will you watch nieces, nephews, cousins graduate?

[MrsDuck]

I vaguely remember going to my cousins' graduation. I think from high school? Maybe college? They're 8 years older than I am and I was bored out of my MIND.

 

[Wendy31]

Nieces/Nephews -

So far, 3 of our nieces & nephews have graduated high school, & we've attended each of their graduation ceremonies. We also attended our niece's college graduation.

Siblings -

DH & I attended my younger sister's high school & college graduation ceremonies, & we also attended his younger brother's high school & 2 different college graduation ceremonies.

 

[DisneylandDarling]

Interesting responses! I had 18 people at my high school graduation... immediate family, aunt, cousins, second cousins. Our immediate family is very close, but extended isn't as much (we all get together about 5 times a year and sometimes vacation together). I would love to attend graduation for any of my cousins or their kids. I wouldn't dream of missing my niece/nephew's graduation.

Edited to add: We weren't the only ones to bring so many people. However, we had graduation at a small arena, so that might factor into it as well.

 

[rastahomie]

No, and considering the limited seating at most graduation venues, I'd be surprised if any of my siblings invited me.

I've been invited to, and gone to, graduation parties for nieces and nephews though. In fact, just a couple weeks ago I went to my best friend's stepson's graduation. I know that sounds like a rather distant relationship, I've known the stepson (B) since long before his mom met by friend (J). I even coached him for a couple of years on his school's chess team.

 

[low-key]

When my Niece graduated from Kent St they had Joe Walsh (Eagles fame and other) give the Commencement speech. yes I went

 

[loves to dive]

I went to three of my nieces high school graduation and one their college graduation. In all fairness, I went to her college one because the college she went to was about a hour away from Chicago and it gave me an excuse to fly to Chicago and spend a long weekend by myself exploring. No cousins live close enough and I'm not close to 3 of my other nephews (don't even know where they are my brother and their mother divorced) and am not close to my other niece and 2 nephews' father.

 

[tvguy]

I have 17 cousins, 15 in Canada, too far to go, and wasn't invited, and the 2 here in California graduated before I was born.

I have a niece and a nephew locally, I don't recall if I was invited to their graduations but I did not go.

I did attend my nephew's ordination as a Presbyterian Minister.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

There is no seating restriction for high school graduations in my city since the ceremony is held at the same venue as most of the major concerts. There is room for thousands.

I have gone to my sibling's, my cousin's, and my cousin's kid's graduations. I have only had one niece graduate so far and I was at her graduation and will be at the other neices' graduations when they reach that milestone. The only nephews I have live across the country so I was not able to go to their's.

 

[Mirielle]

Not a chance! Even disliked attending my own due to the long, very boring speeches that had to be endured.

 

[lilia78]

My youngest son just graduated yesterday. He had 17 family members attend, including 4 grandparents, 5 aunts, 4 cousins, 2 (of 3) siblings and myself and my husband. His class had 18 student graduate so it is a small ceremony and very personalized to all of the class members. The ceremony was about two hours long and included a class historian speech, valedictorian address (my son was the valedictorian), slideshow, presentation of diploma and presentation of awards & scholarships.

Most of these same family members attended both of my older two children's graduations as well. I will definitely be attending my sisters daughters graduation, it's not even a question I'll be there.

 

[kimblebee]

My youngest son just graduated yesterday. He had 17 family members attend, including 4 grandparents, 5 aunts, 4 cousins, 2 (of 3) siblings and myself and my husband. His class had 18 student graduate so it is a small ceremony and very personalized to all of the class members. The ceremony was about two hours long and included a class historian speech, valedictorian address (my son was the valedictorian), slideshow, presentation of diploma and presentation of awards & scholarships.

Most of these same family members attended both of my older two children's graduations as well. I will definitely be attending my sisters daughters graduation, it's not even a question I'll be there.

There were only 18 graduates and it still took two hours? LOL

I think mine was about 2 1/2 hours and we had 300 students and it was a bigger deal than usual because our school had been hit by arson that October and we had missed 5 weeks of school.

 

[lilia78]

There were only 18 graduates and it still took two hours? LOL

I think mine was about 2 1/2 hours and we had 300 students and it was a bigger deal than usual because our school had been hit by arson that October and we had missed 5 weeks of school.

The two hours including the graduates walking in with their escorts (each graduate walks in to their own song and take about 3-4 minutes per kid) stopping a thousand times on their way for photos, then some welcoming and such speeches. Then the historian speech, principals address and a message from the ministry of education, greetings from the school division, awards & scholarship presentations (22 of them), diploma presentation, valedictorian address, parents tribute and response (the grads then get up and leave to stage a present a rose to their parents and we get a change to hug them and tell them we love them), a slideshow (again 2-3 minutes per kid) and a thank you to the community. The kids and their escorts then walk a path up and down all the aisles so everyone can look at them well. The kids also make sure to go to the nursing home and walk through so all the elderly can see them as well.

Ceremonies in small towns are different than what happens in a large cities and larger schools. Here it is very small and quite personalized. Everyone knows each other in the class and both spend from Kindergarten to Grade 12 together, in the same school. Our school goes from K-12 and only has about 250 students total.

Also grad dress consists of boys in suits or tuxes and girls in fancy dresses, we do not wear cap and gown, we do not have a prom but I assume the dresses would be similar to what is worn there.

 

[design_mom]

My school and most of my cousins' schools all had limited tickets for graduation so aunts/uncles really didn't go due to lack of tickets. I had over 20 first cousins, and we weren't particularly close to all of them (distance meant we didn't see some often). I think we went to one or two graduations, but for most we just went to the party.

My kids' school and my nieces' and nephew's school (same district, different schools) do not have ticket limitations and the kids have grown up with their aunts and uncles coming to see them at important events. (We all live pretty close to each other and see each other regularly.) I would anticipate that everyone will come, but I guess we'll see. My son is the oldest cousin, so I guess whatever happens for his graduation will set a precedent for the rest. If someone moved out-of-state or something then it would probably change things but I don't anticipate that happening.

 

[tcufrog]

I would go for nieces and nephews if we had them. We recently drove 2 hours one way to attend my cousin's graduation party. She was my flower girl so I felt that we should go. We didn't go to the graduation ceremony afterward though since it was at 8:30 pm and my kids were going to sleep away camp the following day.

 

[Missy1961]

As I mentioned on the other thread, I will be attending my niece's graduation in a few weeks. But it depends on the weather. If it's nice, they graduate on the football field, so anyone is able to attend. If the weather stinks, then it is held inside, and there are limitations. So I'd skip it and just do some after graduation activities. Her cousin is graduating tomorrow and I'm not going. But that's because I can't afford to travel there, not because there isn't room for me.

I've had two nephews and a niece graduate - and I went to their ceremonies. They went to school in a suburb of Richmond VA and the ceremony was at a local college. When the nephews graduated, my brother and sister in law were able to get plenty of tickets for almost everyone to attend since the boys were twins, so they had twice as many tickets. But even when their sister graduated, a whole bunch of us were able to go - some of her friends only had two or three people attending, and they gave her their extra tickets. I had volunteered to skip it to make sure that the grandparents could go, but there were enough for us all.

Yes, the ceremonies can be boring, but I go. I don't always love kids soccer or concerts, but if I'm able to go, I go. It's what aunts do.

 

[Dentam]

My extended family attended mine, but I gave a speech at the ceremony which was probably why. And it was a short speech which many people later told me they appreciated. The other main speech went on FOREVER.

 

[scrhsa]

I've only been to one of my nieces/nephews graduation. That was only because we lived close at the time. We probably would have gone to more if we hadn't been so far away from all the rest of them. I'm sure I would have hated it, especially with small kids, but its what you do for family. At least with my family

For my oldest graduation my Mom, MiL/fil,2 sets of bil/sis all came. For my second dd...everyone was busy out of state so no one came. And for my last dd, my mil/sil came.

 

[blana]

Most of the high schools around have very limited tickets, so I doubt Ill see any of the nieces/nephews graduate from high school. But, when my oldest niece graduated from college, DH & I, plus the t w o kids we had then, went to see it. My niece really wanted us there since we had been around to take her to lunch & just s t check in on her while she was in school. (Her college was in the same city DH & I work in, and 2-3 hours from any other family.

 

[luvsJack]

None of the high schools here have limited seating and yes we go. And dh's whole family, my sister and her daughters and their families all came to dd's.

When dd graduates from college, she will be limited to 5 tickets if they don't change the venue. She is already stressing about who to give tickets to.

 

[sk!mom]

Yes, I'm close to my family and we love get togethers. Three years ago, when DD21 graduated so did 2 of my nephews. Luckily not all on the same weekend. My DH, sister, and I along with my DD and sister's DD, left here on a Friday morning, drove 5 hours to my brothers, spent the afternoon visiting, went to dinner, attended graduation, stayed a short time at the reception after, got back in the car and drove 5 more hours to leave the state for the next nephew's Saturday grad. We got there at 1:00 am. We went to his afternoon grad and party that evening. Drove all the way home on Sunday so that my DD could take her last AP exams on Monday.

A couple of weeks later, they all drove here to attend DD's grad and party.

That was my biggest effort to attend but I don't miss them if it's at all feasible to attend.

I'm weird though, I actually enjoy the pomp & circumstance and, usually, even the speeches.