<p>thank you everyone! keep those suggestions coming!</p>
<p>this one made me laugh!! 
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<p>@PackMom “My mother gave me luggage for graduation. DH’s gave him a typewriter.”</p>
<p>Oh how times have changed! I got a typewriter too… but it was manual… the rich kids got the electric ones! :D</p>
<p>rom828, When S1 graduated from high school, my brother, who has no children, gave him the watch my father had given him when HE graduated from high school. It was the watch my Granddad had given my father when HE graduated from high school. All three graduation dates are engraved on the back of the watch. It was a total surprise, none of us knew it was coming (my brother was not at graduation and had mailed the package). We all just sat at the table and cried. It is wonderful tradition and one that has more meaning then you can imagine.</p>
<p>Gosh you guys, now I’m all teary-eyed, and mine are all post-high school!</p>
<p>lololu wins! My coworkers are now wondering why I’m in tears! :)</p>
<p>lololu - that is beautiful. </p>
<p>DougBetsy - this is a great way to begin the day :)</p>
<p>H (from him only) wants to give D some diamond studs. She performs on stage a lot so she would wear them. Gmother is giving D a Kendle. D is a bookaholic so she’ll either love it or want to hold a real book??!!.</p>
<p>My daughter wants a KitchenAid stand mixer for graduation! My mother just gave her a charm bracelet that belonged to her mother, my grandmother. On the bracelet were three calendar charms and on the birthdate of each of the granddaughters is a birthstone, so the two October calendars have an opal on the 27th (my sister and I are twins). My mother had 2 of the charms removed and gave them to my sisters for their daughters or in my older sister’s case, her granddaughter. Then, for my daughter, she had a charm made with my daughter’s name and her 21st birthday. Now my sisters are buying the gold charm from the university my daughter attends. She’ll have her great-grandmother’s bracelet with the original charm representing me, and her own charms from my mother, and her aunts.</p>
<p>OH I like that charm bracelet idea, too bad DD is not a bracelet fan.</p>
<p>DD’s great, great grandmother was a famous actress (dad’s side of family - my side far less exotic). A theatre once did reprints of a poster advertising her (ggm) appearance on stage. I purchased a poster awhile ago and will have it matted and framed. Graduation won’t be until next year, but I am prepared.</p>
<p>When the children were little and college and college graduation seemed a million years in the future, my husband and I were talking about the cruise his family took him on when he graduated from Law School. It made for a tremendous memory for him. So we decided we would like to take the girls on a cruise when they graduated from college. After he died last year I debated and decided to continue the tradition. So he will join us in spirit as we three ladies go on our first cruise to the Bahamas after oldest daughter’s graduation in May. So hopefully I am getting my DD a tremendous memory …</p>
<p>Sistersunnie - I think that is a wonderful idea. You of all people know how precious memories are - and while it will be bittersweet, because your dear husband inspired your idea, it will be all the more meaningful.</p>
<p>Sister you made me cry, I am sorry for the loss of your DH, but I am sure that he will be smiling upon you. AND YES, I think that it will be a tremendous memory, mainly because you are also teaching her a lesson on love…you two had a plan and a path, and even the fact that he is gone, that path is still constant because of the love you two had. That lesson will be IMHO opinion worth more than her degree, because she will never settle when it comes to marriage since she had the two of you as parents to understand what true love is!</p>
<p>Congrats to your DD…now make sure you buy one of those typical straw purses!</p>
<p>Oh my! Clearly I need to get it in gear here – D graduates in 4 weeks. No idea what to get her. We do plan to give her the car she’s been driving this year, and perhaps help her with grad school expenses. When D & S graduated from HS, except for a couple small tokens, our gift was their undergraduate education, debt-free.</p>
<p>For our children that is too a gift. Honestly, I think that if you are giving her the car and helping with grad school, your gift if any should be a small token of love. Something heart felt that when she is a parent she will pass down to her DD. A set of pearls will always be cherished.</p>
<p>We (Bullet and I) have always said to our kids that their graduation gift from college was going to be a hearty handshake and a slap on the back since they will have no debt.</p>
<p>Our closest friends DD just graduated a few months ago. I jokingly asked what did you get DD for graduation, expecting her to say something small…she said a brand new BMW. Back story she graduated with no debt and bought her a TH to live in at college. These parents are not millionaires, they make a decent buck, but work hard for it so they can give to their kids.</p>
<p>I laughed when she said it, and asked are you kidding me? You took a 4 yr loan after paying 4 yrs of college to buy her a new BMW when she already had a car that you bought for her?</p>
<p>Got off the phone, looked at our DD and said you were born into the wrong family! Yes, they make exactly the same amount as we do, difference is our kids will never have to financially support us when we get old because we invest, they don’t!</p>
<p>For parents of DS’s graduating college. Here is a suggestion, a nice men’s jewelry chest. Usually they are in mahogany and are no bigger than a shoe box. Inside you can place a dress watch. Bullet got one, and 23 yrs later it still sits on his dresser and he has used to keep his special momentos. He doesn’t wear his college or hs ring anymore, but they are in there. He has 4 watches and each are in it. Granted at 22 he was GEE thanks, but now it means something.</p>
<p>The grandparents gave the kid a laptop.</p>
<p>I gave her a shopping spree for the amount of 1 months tuition at the high school she just finished. For the 1st time since birth, I was not paying any childcare or tuition of any kind. :D</p>
<p>Hubby and I were discussing this last night. Grandparents are giving DS a nice point and shoot camera. The others probably $. I planned to buy the requisit things needed for college (a small TV, coffee maker etc.), then had a great idea. Think we may forgive DSs car loan debt, he had paid us $106/month for two years and has about $2,500 left. He would be thrilled to not have to make the payment while attending college, and truth be told I can’t imagine asking him to pony up so much of his Christmas and summer break earnings.</p>
<p>AL34, I think that it is a great idea. He has proven he is responsible and because he knows what $106 a month feels like, he will really appreciate it.</p>
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<p>That’s a great idea. S received one from his grandparents for his 16th birthday.</p>