What was your high school and college graduation gift from your parents? Your best gift?

[Anonymous]

High school, dinner at my favorite restaurant. College, received a car early junior year- a huge, used Ford Granada. DS wants a new car, I laughed. I’m paying for his college- I told him he should buy me a new car.

[Anonymous]

I think we went out to dinner after high school graduation. My mom bought me a mattress for my first unfurnished apartment in NY after law school graduation.

The big one was college graduation - my sister and I ended up graduating the same year and my mom took us to Puerto Rico for our present. It was awesome. (We did not grow up going on trips, just driving vacations to sleep in relatives' living rooms, so this might have been a bigger deal for me than for some on these boards.)

[Anonymous]

My parents gave me a new car after college. Honda Civic.

[Anonymous]

I got a '96 Civic for college graduation (2006), which was great. It ran for another decade until we had a kid and sold it (it only had two doors) and starting out without a car payment was really helpful.

[Anonymous]

We got our kids a used car to drive at home in high school (a 3 yo Subaru Crosstrek). They'll hand it down to each other.

For high school graduation, we've already said we'll give them a trip to anyplace in the world they want to go.

For college, they'll get a new car. Or, if they move to a city where you can't drive, I guess we'll give them the equivalent cash to a car (30k ish).

[Anonymous]

I honestly don't remember what I got for high school graduation...some flowers maybe?

College graduation felt like a big deal because my whole family, grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles, came to hang out with me for the weekend. My boyfriend at the time had his ENTIRE family there too. Now he's my husband, and I cherish those memories of our families hanging out and going bar crawling on our college campus. They all traveled a distance to be there. It was the best gift.

[Anonymous]

Lol. Nothing.

If your parents bought you a car, why are you laughing at your son’s request?

[Anonymous]

I got a car for HS graduation. My dad bribed me to go to state flagship university instead of out of state private.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely nothing. They might have taken me out for ice cream. Never expected a gift and I don’t think I received any.

[Anonymous]

LOL. Nothing. Didn't expect anything either.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm . . . for college graduation my dad bought me a Tibetan necklace from this cool shop on the Upper East Side.

Nothing for high school.

[Anonymous]

I’m old. I got a typewriter for HS graduation. It was a state of the art one with a readout that allowed you to type and proofread before actually printing. I doubt many typewriters were produced after that- computers were already common. Nothing for college graduation, although my parents sold me one of their old Volvos for very little $.

[Anonymous]

We went on a family vacation to Hawaii after I graduted from high school. (My sister graduated from college the same year.) I don't think I got anything for college graduation - and I didn't expect it. They paid for my schooling and I got to start my adult life off debt free...that was enough of a gift!

[Anonymous]

High school:. Sheets and towels for my dorm room.
College:. A new mattress and comforter set for my first apartment.
Best gift:. Being so incredibly excited and proud. They truly acted like I had won the Nobel prize or Academy Award. It was embarrassing and endearing. I had to struggle to remember the material gifts, but I could instantly remember my dad telling the waiter at lunch after the ceremony, "This girl is SMART. She's going places!"

[Anonymous]

2000 HS - flowers & dinner at a nice restaurant

2004 College - a new used car (2002 Honda Civic) that I was so stoked to get because the car I had been driving was my great aunt's old 1991 Toyota Camry. The radio only worked part of the time, the driver's side window wouldn't roll down AND the ac was broken, and it would sometimes shut off at long red lights if I didn't sit and push the gas and break at the same time. It was a freakin' tank of a car, though, and went for almost 200k miles. And I think I even got $800 selling it.

Having a reliable car and not having to worry about a car payment right after college were both amazing things to have. My wife and I are doing the same for each of our kids. They get access to an old family car while in HS and then they'll each get a new car for college graduation.