Need Help Picking a Graduation Gift

Hi L.

I am in the same shoes. But my daughter does not want a car. LOL. I might just buy her the phone that she wants. Eventhough is not enough for all that she has done. Think of something that she will cherish. She is going away, so give her something that she will look at & remember home. It does not have to be big nor too expensive. something from the heart is the best. let me know what you got her

try giving her something from Things Remembered. They have stores in malls and you can shop on line as well. thingremembered.com
They have beautiful silver jewelery that you can engrave that are inexpensive, timeless and classic. I got my daughter a necklace with a heart and I engraved a beautiful sentiment on it. She can wear it always and think of you and you will always be close to her heart. I was just on line as my neice is turning 16 next month and my daughter turns 11 and I wanted to get them something special. They are presently having a 50% sale off their jewelery and have a particular bracelet with a sentiment already engraved on it, it is called the "WHEREVER YOU GO" bracelet. It is absolutely beautiful and what you may be looking for, go online and give it a look see. Something a mom can definitely give a daughter going away to college.

Hi L.,
I don't have college-bound aged kids, but I still remember my college days. I liked things that kept me in touch with home while I was away. A personal gift I'd recommend is a digital picture frame. Upload some pictures of you & the family and her friends or pets. These frames store a lot of pictures. You can even send her updated photos online, and she can load the pictures onto the frame. They're not too expensive ($90 and up). You can send her off with a loaded pre-paid debit card, until she gets herself on her feet and finds a part-time job, then she can load it up herself. Good luck and congratulations to you. A child going to college in the honors program speaks volumes of the great parent that you are. Keep up the good work!

Good Afternoon,

I am very happy that your daughter will be graduating from High School this June, 2008. That is indeed wonderful.

It is very rewarding to give her a gift. I suggest that you give her a (1) Saving Bank (intrust) Account, (2) Perfume that she likes and (3) Picture frame for that graduation picture.

A.

Dear L. H:

As a mother you know if she is mature enough to take on the
responsibility of having a car or not. So, this really has alot to do with your comfort zone and that of your husbands',
on this issue.

However, also consider that it seems to me that she's really worked hard and has a pretty good head on her shoulders, when
she is graduating from high school WITH HONORS!!!, and also consider the fact that she is going out of state to Massachusetts, so you really don't want her to go through more of an adjustment than the one she will be going through, especially to get here or there or if there is an emergency;
e.g.toothache and has to get to a dentist, etc. You really don't want her imposing all the times on her friends or some family member is any are out there!!!

You can get her a second hand car through a city auction.
Sometimes these auctions sell very good cars for a fraction of the cost, 2-5,000. They also allow you to get there early so that you can inspect the car that you're interested in.

Invest in getting her driving lessons, and take her to see
some videos or stories from an organization called MADD(mothers against drunk driving), so that if you both decide that you don't want her to be frustrated getting around in Massachusetts, that at least she is fully aware the responsibility that driving entails.

Also, getting a car especially a second hand is not considered a college gift anymore because more kids are going out of state to study. Nowadays, it's a brand new car like a BMW or a Lexus or a down payment on a townhouse or co-op, that is considered a college graduation gift!!!
Talk about keeping up with the times or the Joneses, even that would be out of my range!!!

If you both decide in your heart that spending 2-4,0000 for driving lessons, car and insurance would be too much.
Another great idea is either going with her on a trip to Europe, the country of her choice, or a cruise on a ship to the carribean for 7-10 days and do it with another one of her friends and mom!!!

Whatever you decide, ask God to give you and your husband wisdom and peace about your decision.

Let me know if this was helpful to you.

Good Luck to all of you!!!

R. C.

i would maybe do a night in the city, something like her and 2 or 3 of her best friends take a limo in and eat at a great but not expensive place like dos caminos or serafina. then find some affordable tickets online to a great show like spring awakening or the blue man group.

congrats on her graduation...you should be so proud and lucky!

Dear L.,

Many mom's have purchased gift certificates for their teens for a One-on-One Consultation at Three Custom Color Specialists in NYC. It is a private consultation (you can join her, which is always fun!)with a makeup artist who will go through her makeup bag with her and make recommendations for makeup application and select colors for her. Recommendations are all made based on the client's individual lifestyle and coloring. I am one of the owners, so I am admttednly biased, but our clients really enjoy the service so it makes a great gift! To learn more: http://www.threecustom.com/pages.php?pageid=6

If makeup isn't her thing, might I recommend a gift certificate for spa services? A relaxing treat for her or something fun for you two to do together.

Good luck!
Trae

hi L.; congratulations to you on your wonderful, successful daughter. you are obviously doing a lot right as a mom.

i don't know what you want to spend, but what about a beautiful watch for a graduation gift? maybe spending say, $150-200? my mother got me a Heuer watch for about $125 when i graduated high school but that was.... many.... years ago. i don't know what the vogue is in watches now but if you go to Fortunoff's they're sure to direct you.

or what about very simple, elegant earrings or a ring? you could probably get her birthstone just as solitaire earrings or a ring for $100, unless of course it's a diamond, which i think is June. but if so, an aquamarine stone is always lovely, as are amythysts, opals, topaz, and garnets.

emeralds and rubies, like diamonds, are very expensive and look poorly if not very well paid for; i would avoid these even if they are her birthstone if you're budgeting.

young women love powder blue and lavender these days, so aquamarines and amythysts are probably fairly safe bets. i would look for a higher quality, more substantial band for a ring so that it doesn't look flimsy; and go with a smaller stone, especially if she is petite or slim. but solitaire earrings in these kinds of stones use much less gold and you can end up spending much more on the stone and get a really elegant little earring. the other thing to consider is silver, which will keep the cost down, but sometimes young girls don't feel it's as special as gold even if it may be a much higher quality item.

or what about a special night out? would she enjoy going to a broadway show? maybe you and your husband could take her, or just one of you and she could bring a friend? and go for a special desert afterward, rather than spending a lot of money on dinner?

good luck to you and to her as she embarks on her college journey!

YOU CAN GET the usual grad gifts, but something besides that - more special is this: BEGIN now, go on the net and find all the topics grad is interested in - put them all on one jump drive or cd for him.

Find: his topic (i.e. Is he interested in books, drums, animals, sports, etc, choose one or two and put LOTS of sites, pictures, info on the disk).

Find - inspirational thoughts for him, put all those on the disk,

Find- thoughts good for graduates,

Find resume things or things about high school or college etc, whatever is applicable.

Do a short family history- put that on there.

and add comments from the whole family --good wishes..

You can put all the grad cards on there also.

ADD pictures of the graduation ..etc. or graduation site.

And finally add information for his goal -career

i.e. Does he want to be a dentist or cab owner, or day care owner--etc, put all that information on there.

Find the SCORE site --that tells you about free workshops for new business owners

and add some good music!!

That is the most beautiful gift you can give

ADD baby pictures --or sentimental things for him there also.

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