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Post by epeanymous on Dec 19, 2023 20:57:46 GMT
I'm full of asking for advice threads.
My oldest graduates from college this spring, across the country. I reserved hotel rooms foe our nuclear family months ago when we got the dates. Our nuclear family, for those not familiar, includes the graduate and kids who will be 18, 14, 14, 11, and 8.
Two things have just happened this week. One, my husband's parents have asked to attend graduation. Two, we have learned that we get two tickets for the ceremony, and two tickets for the simulcast watch party for the ceremony.
How would you manage this? I can give more info if helpful.
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Post by kristi521 on Dec 19, 2023 21:01:51 GMT
We had a similar situation a couple years ago with my nephew. I think we got maybe 6 tickets per graduate. There were many more of us that traveled to see him. So we all went up there, some of us went to the ceremony, the rest were able to watch on the TV. Then we all celebrated him afterward. The point of it was being their to celebrate his accomplishment. The ceremony was just one aspect of that.
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Post by Bridget in MD on Dec 19, 2023 21:03:28 GMT
Are you on a parent FB page for your child's university? (Congrats by the way!). I would ask there how to request additional tickets. I believe your graduate may also be able to request additional tickets, and hopefully they know how to do that?
As for who gets tickets?
I would tell the grandparents now that you have 4 tickets and are going to attempt to get additional tickets, but there is no guarentee.
If you only have 2 for the actual graduation, of course you and DH should attend. The graduate wont need a ticket. But what will your 3 young ones do? Maybe grandparents could take them to the virtual party? Regardless you are going to need at least 4 more tickets, maybe even 6 if grandparents go. I would look to see what options you have to request tickets immediately and then start to formulate plans.... HTH!
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Post by katlady on Dec 19, 2023 21:09:34 GMT
Find out if there is a website somewhere for the families and see if you can get tickets from others who won't be going. Maybe FB or something. With only two tickets, that should go to you and your DH. Maybe the grandparent can watch your kids in the hotel room and they can all watch together on the live stream (I assume there is a live stream since there is a Watch Party). Or, your 18 year-old can take one of the other kids to the Watch Party. And at the end, you all get together and celebrate!
Just wanted to add that if the hotel is close to the ceremony, maybe after your daughter walks across the stage, those who watched in the hotel, can rush down to the ceremony and wait outside for you all to come out.
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leeny
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Location: Northern California
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Jun 27, 2014 1:55:53 GMT
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Post by leeny on Dec 19, 2023 21:09:54 GMT
Congratulations! When my niece graduated this past May, her parents took the two tickets for inside and her boyfriend took one for outside. The rest of us were at my other sisters for a livestream watch party followed by an in-person celebration when my niece showed up. Frankly I am glad it worked out this way because the graduating classes are so big that it is a pain to sit and wait through it all!
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Post by ~summer~ on Dec 19, 2023 21:30:33 GMT
Can you ask who cares about attending the actual graduation?
I think the dinners and other get together are more or just as meaningful. And some people might not even want to get up early to attend the ceremony.
That’s a bummer about the tickets - I had 3 big graduations last year - and none required tickets.
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Anita
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Posts: 5,646 
Location: Kansas City -ish
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Post by Anita on Dec 19, 2023 21:41:11 GMT
If you can't score additional tickets, parents go to the event, grandparents go to the simulcast, and kids attend after party with everyone.
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Post by auntkelly on Dec 19, 2023 21:47:43 GMT
Assuming you can't get extra tickets. and assuming your daughter is close to her grandparents, I'd probably split up w/ my husband. One of us would sit in the main room w/ his mother and one of us would sit in the overflow with his father. My reasoning would be that the grandparents had gone to a lot of effort to attend and I'd be afraid they might feel slighted if they both had to sit in the overflow room.
I'm sure a lot of people will disagree w/ me and say the parents should sit together at the actual graduation, and neither parent should be required to sit in the overflow room. I don't necessarily disagree, it's just that my mother and my husband's parents were wonderful grandparents and we would make sure that at least one of them had a seat at the actual graduation.
I would plan a special dinner at a restaurant or some other type of celebration so that all your kids feel included.
When my son graduated from college, we hired a local photographer to take pictures of my son and the rest of our family on various spots around campus. In some pictures he wore his cap and gown and in some he wore his regular clothes. The photo session was a lot of fun for all of us and those are still some of my favorite family photos.
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anniebeth24
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Post by anniebeth24 on Dec 19, 2023 21:57:07 GMT
Just throwing something else out there to think about. I would make a reservation for a dinner celebration now. I had to go with my "not first choice" for DS' graduation because I didn't reserve early enough.
Regarding tickets, I vote that parents get the 2 regular and grandparents get the overflow.
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Post by myshelly on Dec 19, 2023 22:01:59 GMT
I would tell grandparents the situation before they spend any money.
“We are so touched that you want to attend, but we only have 2 tickets to the ceremony and no guarantee that we can get more, so you might want to celebrate with the graduate at home instead.”
You and DH go to the graduation.
18 yo is in charge of siblings and they do something fun during the ceremony like hang at the hotel pool or Uber to a museum, whatever they’re into.
I would make a reservation for whole family at somewhere nice that graduate likes and do a celebratory dinner after the ceremony.
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Post by Basket1lady on Dec 19, 2023 22:08:20 GMT
Yeah, it sucks. It’s likely that more tickets will be available in a lottery, but much closer to the date. I’d also have your DS start asking around now to see if anyone has an extra ticket.
DD graduated from her undergrad in 2021 and we were only allocated 2 tickets. DH and I attended and the rest live streamed it and met us for a nice dinner afterwards.
I say the parents have priority for the tickets because they are the ones that paid for the degree and sent money every time we blinked. The grandparents were supportive, but didn’t pay so they didn’t attend in person. Plus, sitting on bleacher seats for hours in the hot sun is a lot!
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Post by littlemama on Dec 19, 2023 22:51:10 GMT
Parents attend graduation in person, grandparents get simulcast tix. Kids stay back in the hotel room and celebrate afterward.
Graduations are boring for kids.
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Post by littlemama on Dec 19, 2023 22:52:20 GMT
Are you on a parent FB page for your child's university? (Congrats by the way!). I would ask there how to request additional tickets. I believe your graduate may also be able to request additional tickets, and hopefully they know how to do that? As for who gets tickets? I would tell the grandparents now that you have 4 tickets and are going to attempt to get additional tickets, but there is no guarentee. If you only have 2 for the actual graduation, of course you and DH should attend. The graduate wont need a ticket. But what will your 3 young ones do? Maybe grandparents could take them to the virtual party? Regardless you are going to need at least 4 more tickets, maybe even 6 if grandparents go. I would look to see what options you have to request tickets immediately and then start to formulate plans.... HTH! She has an 18 and 2 14's who should be able to handle the 2 younger ones for a few hours in the hotel room |
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Post by librarylady on Dec 19, 2023 23:12:41 GMT
We had a similar situation and found students whose parents/family could not attend and got tickets from them.
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Post by Bridget in MD on Dec 20, 2023 0:06:46 GMT
Are you on a parent FB page for your child's university? (Congrats by the way!). I would ask there how to request additional tickets. I believe your graduate may also be able to request additional tickets, and hopefully they know how to do that? As for who gets tickets? I would tell the grandparents now that you have 4 tickets and are going to attempt to get additional tickets, but there is no guarentee. If you only have 2 for the actual graduation, of course you and DH should attend. The graduate wont need a ticket. But what will your 3 young ones do? Maybe grandparents could take them to the virtual party? Regardless you are going to need at least 4 more tickets, maybe even 6 if grandparents go. I would look to see what options you have to request tickets immediately and then start to formulate plans.... HTH! She has an 18 and 2 14's who should be able to handle the 2 younger ones for a few hours in the hotel room Oh sorry, I was thinking the 18 yo was the one graduating! duh |
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Post by littlemama on Dec 20, 2023 11:08:51 GMT
She has an 18 and 2 14's who should be able to handle the 2 younger ones for a few hours in the hotel room Oh sorry, I was thinking the 18 yo was the one graduating! duh I had to go back and re-read to be sure! 😂 |
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,042
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Post by artbabe on Dec 20, 2023 12:58:05 GMT
That sucks. The college I attended and my nephew is going to now doesn't require tickets for graduation. I guess the place is big enough that there are plenty of seats.
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maryannscraps
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Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Dec 20, 2023 13:44:39 GMT
At DD and her husband’s graduation, I think he bought a couple tickets from another grad for his sister and her boyfriend to go. Sleazy of the students selling them, but they do it.
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Post by epeanymous on Dec 21, 2023 1:25:38 GMT
Oh sorry, I was thinking the 18 yo was the one graduating! duh I had to go back and re-read to be sure! 😂 They will be graduating ... from high school! I don't know the ticket situation for that but it's a lot different managing a local situation. |
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Post by Merge on Dec 21, 2023 1:35:08 GMT
Grandparents attend the simulcast and the 18 year olds watch the younger ones at the hotel. Big party at a restaurant afterward.
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Post by malibou on Dec 21, 2023 6:34:45 GMT
There is no way my kid will walk his college graduation. I hope he is able to give his tickets away to someone.
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