Congratulations! Your son or daughter is almost ready to walk across that stage and become the university graduate ready to take on the world you always knew they would be. Here are 5 ideas for gifts you can give them to celebrate their accomplishment, other than giving them permission to stay in your house for a while they figure their stuff out.
1. Clothes
Armed with her new degree, your freshly-minted young adult is applying for lots of jobs, so taking her shopping for a couple of sharp outfits to impress her new coworkers is a great idea. This is, however, assuming that she hasn’t asked to move back in with you until she actually has something locked down, which might be just a couple of weeks. But don’t worry, she’ll be hearing back from one of the 60 employers she applied to two months ago any day now.
2. Cash
While something sentimental is always nice, you can never go wrong with slipping your fledgling a little extra money to feather their nest as they set off to achieve their goals. As a bonus, if they do ask to move back in with you while their friend Tad decides whether he wants to go in on a lease or not, you can deter them by asking for the cash back as rent!
3. Photos
As he prepares to take on new challenges in this exciting new era of his life, why not take some time to remind him of how he got here with some tastefully framed photos memorializing special family moments. This is also an especially useful way of communicating to him that he will need these reminders of his family because he will not be living with you. Adorbs!
4. A good book
Having spent four years reading up on the topic of their choice, your graduate no doubt understands that knowledge is power. Sure, a place to shower and home-cooked meals would be appreciated, but why feed the body–or have your parents feed your body–when you can feed the mind? Extra credit for “Oh the Places You’ll Go”, which will clear up any ambiguity about the gift’s meaning. Don’t sweat it–you’ve been planning on turning his room into a sewing nook for 22 years and you are not going to turn back now, baby!
5. A backpack
Self-explanatory. A good backpack will not only help your graduate on the way to the job, the gym and travelling, but eloquently sends a message to your grad that they should gather their things and hit the road and move far away because they are not welcome here.
Congratulations, class of 2018!
