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Well, it’s definitely the season of graduations! While college graduations started last month, June is when high school graduations are in full swing. I should know, my oldest, Will, has just graduated highschool himself. Our area gets out a little earlier than most places, so his graduation was actually on May 25th. However, as this blog post is getting published, I’m in California attending my niece’s graduation. These young-uns are about to see what adulting is all about!
In light of the graduation season, I thought I would spend some time talking about graduation and offer some unique gift ideas. Of course I would love for you to get something from The Chill Shop, but there are also many other awesome things you can consider for that graduate in your life. And let’s be honest, I think parents are significantly overlooked during this time. These kiddos just DO.NOT.KNOW what we parents sacrificed to get them to this point. A funny quote from one of my cousins was “I just have to keep them alive until they are 18. Then I’ve done my job!” So true cuz, so true.
Hands down, I think the most highly coveted gift you can give a graduate would be cold hard cash. But if you are like my mother, and you like to give a thoughtful gift that speaks to you knowing their likes (and want to give them something tangible to open), then you may find a suggestion on this list more appealing than cash.
Of course this isn’t an exhaustive list. At the very least, maybe it gets your juices flowing on being creative in what you get them. It can also alleviate some of the stress on the parents to make sure their new graduate has all they need for the next chapter in their lives. I also want to point out that many of these items are just as essential for those graduates that are jumping right into the workforce and college just isn't in the cards for them.
Let’s face it…the saying “it takes a village” didn’t come out of thin air. It came from the energy it takes to raise humans to adulthood. So why don’t we celebrate the parents too? The sacrifices we made for the past 18 years are incredible when you look back on them. Starting with all the diaper changes to busted knees, through learning to ride a bike (and who bought that bike?), into the confusing and hazy days of puberty and figuring out how the world works. It was the parents that’s were right by their kids keeping the guardrails up.
Now I don’t intend my words to disregard any experiences someone may have had where parental figures did not provide that type of guidance. I have worked alongside a local non-profit that supports young adults as they transition out of the foster care system into adulthood. My own father passed away when I was 13, so I know firsthand how hard it was for my mother to raise me and my two younger siblings all on her own. Again…it takes a village. So if you (or someone you know) has a unique situation in which you/their birth parents were not in the picture…when I talk about “parents” this could be any adult in your/their life that helped you along the way.
So I don’t think it’s absurd to also give tokens of appreciation to the parents during graduation time. Here are a few ideas of what this could look like:
While there are many other suggestions out there on what you could get the parents, these are just a few ideas to get those gears turning. And let’s face it, even a simple card of recognition can go a long way to making these parents feel validated.
You can always check out our online store to see if there is a little special something you can pick up for the graduate or parent in your life.
If you have graduates in your life right now, I hope this list has helped you figure out what you may do for them (and their parents). Education is the key to betterment for all. So my hat is off to all you graduates out there as you certainly are our future. May you feel empowered to move forward into adulting and do it better than we did before you. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Until next time….
Dianna