Have you explained to your parents why you don’t feel like going? I can’t tell if they are pushing you to go because they think you’ll regret it later on if you don’t go, or if they want you to go because it’s important to them as parents. (Or if they simply can’t comprehend ANYONE not wanting to go, like it’s an alien thought to them somehow.)
In any case, you probably should go just so as not to have to have a long argument with your parents. Unless there’s something about attending the ceremony that would be really awful for you (you have fear of crowds, you are allergic to mortarboards), this is probably one time you should not ask “why should I bother?” Pick your battles – this one’s not important.
Hey, at my daughter’s school, they told the kids that if they had outstanding library fines they wouldn’t be allowed to walk at graduation. Maybe you can go take out a book from the library and not return it! Problem solved! :)>-
We moved twice while our oldest son was in high school. He was homeschooled but attended a public high school part-time his senior year. He had no interest in attending graduation. For a photo, he photo-shopped himself into a cap and gown. Next kid moved right before senior year. She had attended a school part-time in 10th grade, none in 11th (she was training/competing in a sport, homeschooled), then moved and went part-time to another school senior year. She made a few friends, did go to prom, and wanted to participate in graduation. I asked about it, but she wasn’t allowed since she did not fulfill the district graduation requirements. Next kid refused to attend graduation, though he’d been at the school 4 years and won some academic awards. He hates ceremonies and crowds, (ASD) had no friends, and did not participate in school ECs. We tried to talk him into it. The school called me to see why he wasn’t coming. He just refused. I did want him to go, but understood why he didn’t want to and let him make the decision. There was no drama, really. He had to participate in a ceremony at school and borrowed a cap and gown for that (we didn’t buy one since he didn’t want to go to graduation). We took a photo at home then, and took the family out to dinner during “graduation.” Next son was involved and did want to attend graduation. We went. It was boring (big public high school, long list of names). I’m not particularly glad he/we attended. Couldn’t see anything in big arena. My advice. . .skip it if you want. (But if your parents REALLY really care about it, consider doing it for them.)
@Marian, my daughter is in the band and she says her own graduation will be much better because she won’t have to play! It’s a really boring performance for them too. Same song over and over. Then the school alma mater on repeat at the end.
Oh lordy, I forgot about having to listen to “Pomp and Circumstance” over and over. Whose idea was that and why does every single high school do it now? Won’t someone break the mold and play something else?
I would go. It’s just a couple of hours, it will make your parents happy, and you can go out to eat afterwards and spend some time with your family celebrating you. Besides, the ceremony itself is kind of cool, marking the official end of your high school years and the beginning of what lies ahead. It’s not so much about graduating from a specific high school, it’s about graduating from high school, period.
I graduated in Jan so didn’t have a high school ceremony. I did go to the ceremony of my friends (I’d moved before senior year). My kids also attended 3 high schools, but they did go to graduation. If we’d had something else to do, it wouldn’t have been a big deal to miss it. They didn’t do a lot of the other senior things like get a year book or even senior photos. They just didn’t care.
I did play Pomp and Circumstances over and over at two previous graduations at my high school so I’d experienced graduation enough.
i went to HS grad, but not college nor grad school. I think my parents were relieved. Yet, I felt some disappointment when they went to a niece’s son’s med school graduation. parents also didn’t go to sister’s college or MFA graduation.
So, I made the effort to go to son’s college graduation. He missed HS graduation, where he would have been giving a speech, cuz he left HS in junior year. If he ever graduates PhD program, you can bet I’ll be there.
I think these are important milestones, and should be shared with loved ones.
OP, I was in the same boat, 3 high schools and moved before senior year but I’m glad I went to my high school graduation. I agree with post #27. After nearly 30 years, I still remember so e of people and face on Facebook. I would go if I were you.
I did not want to attend mine either (30 years ago) but my parents wanted me to so I did. It was only a few hours out of my life and it was important for them. Not only did I attend graduation but I had to wear an ugly orange cap and gown.The thing we do for our parents, right?
Just recently my mother showed me my graduation announcement. She had kept it after all those years. It shows that it really was meaningful for her.
\You personally likely won’t miss out on anything if you don’t attend, but your parents will miss seeing their son go through a rite of passage. I’d go to graduation if they want you to. It’s will only be a couple of hours out of your life and it will make your parents very happy. If it helps you to feel better, just think about graduation as a “now I get to leave here and go to college” ceremony. Let your family celebrate you and what you have accomplished. All best wishes as you move forward.
Your parents are speaking from two places: What they want, and what they think you might want (in the future).
As a parent, we want to celebrate our children’s milestones. Graduation is a public celebration of that.
Also, they may be sorry you had to move around…going to graduation may “tie” you more to your graduating HS so if you want to go back to reunion you feel connected. They also may feel bad that you don’t feel connected and how this will help.
So what if graduations are for the family? What is wrong with that? As a child you don’t realize how much time and effort your parents spent in raising you.
My mom didn’t care about high school graduation but I was like you no Prom, nothing but I’m glad I did attend my high school graduation because that’s the only one I did. I wish I had purchased a yearbook because I don’t remember half of the name of the people I used to know. I wonder what happened to them. Do it for yourself.