Graduation gift for 8th grader

[Anonymous]

Are you giving your 8th grader a graduation gift? Our 8th grader is graduating with straight As of all 3 years of MS. We want to give a graduation gift but are stumped at what to give. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

nothing 8th graders don't graduate.

[Anonymous]

No gifts. Ice cream date with or without friends.

[Anonymous]

Dinner out at the place of their choice, regardless of their final grades. We do this every year on the last day of school, just to mark the milestone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:nothing 8th graders don't graduate.

Exactly

[Anonymous]

I let her enjoyed a free playdate with her BFFs at home and brought all young siblings out for a whole day. She (the young siblings) were very happy that mom was not (was solely) with her (them).

[Anonymous]

Don't worry about what others are doing--people on this site are so anti-gifts for anything other than high school graduation. It's almost bizarre. If you want to recognize this and give a gift, give a gift or do something special as a family/with friends. I feel like the current 8th graders got the short end of the stick on the middle school experience with COVID. Giving them something just for getting through the last few years is perfectly acceptable.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all for great suggestions. Ice-cream with family and friends sounds perfect!
And yes 8th grade is not a graduation but is a major milestone for a 13 yo who has been working hard and is now on the way to a competitive HS program.

[Anonymous]

As Barney once said, "A great big hug and a kiss from me to you." If you're really feeling eccentric, especially in this economy, take them to a dinner or a rollercoaster weekend. The real gifts come for high school, college, the master(s) and maybe even the PhD. Only families where high school isn't commonplace give big gifts for "promotion".

[Anonymous]

I got a shirt from the high school that DD will be attending

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As Barney once said, "A great big hug and a kiss from me to you." If you're really feeling eccentric, especially in this economy, take them to a dinner or a rollercoaster weekend. The real gifts come for high school, college, the master(s) and maybe even the PhD. Only families where high school isn't commonplace give big gifts for "promotion".

You're an idiot. I have a Master's degree and my parents still gave me a gift for 8th grade promotion. No one is saying OP should buy her kid a car but giving a kid a video game or taking him out for dinner is just being an encouraging parent who likes to celebrate what to a 13 year old is a big deal. Sorry for your kids that you don't see the value in that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all for great suggestions. Ice-cream with family and friends sounds perfect!
And yes 8th grade is not a graduation but is a major milestone for a 13 yo who has been working hard and is now on the way to a competitive HS program.

Lots of kids are in this situation. No gift...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As Barney once said, "A great big hug and a kiss from me to you." If you're really feeling eccentric, especially in this economy, take them to a dinner or a rollercoaster weekend. The real gifts come for high school, college, the master(s) and maybe even the PhD. Only families where high school isn't commonplace give big gifts for "promotion".

You're an idiot. I have a Master's degree and my parents still gave me a gift for 8th grade promotion. No one is saying OP should buy her kid a car but giving a kid a video game or taking him out for dinner is just being an encouraging parent who likes to celebrate what to a 13 year old is a big deal. Sorry for your kids that you don't see the value in that.

Your name calling speaks volumes. Not all kids are entitled like you were or your kids. We will buy a few bigger gifts a year at that age and often when they ask vs special occasion as we know they really want it. We don't buy unnecessary junk anymore and there will not be an 8th grade graduation gift. Their gift for graduating high school is college paid for. Their gift for college graduation is graduate school paid for. We spend a fortune on activities and other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As Barney once said, "A great big hug and a kiss from me to you." If you're really feeling eccentric, especially in this economy, take them to a dinner or a rollercoaster weekend. The real gifts come for high school, college, the master(s) and maybe even the PhD. Only families where high school isn't commonplace give big gifts for "promotion".

You're an idiot. I have a Master's degree and my parents still gave me a gift for 8th grade promotion. No one is saying OP should buy her kid a car but giving a kid a video game or taking him out for dinner is just being an encouraging parent who likes to celebrate what to a 13 year old is a big deal. Sorry for your kids that you don't see the value in that.

Your name calling speaks volumes. Not all kids are entitled like you were or your kids. We will buy a few bigger gifts a year at that age and often when they ask vs special occasion as we know they really want it. We don't buy unnecessary junk anymore and there will not be an 8th grade graduation gift. Their gift for graduating high school is college paid for. Their gift for college graduation is graduate school paid for. We spend a fortune on activities and other things.

Sorry you're too cheap to buy your kids a small gift as they end what is probably the most challenging three years of their childhood. Real thoughtful.

[Anonymous]

Nope. No gift.