High School Graduation Ceremony Dilemmas
A huge range of emotions come with high school graduation. There can be some problems when it comes time for the big event. The common problem is deciding who gets invited to the ceremony. It boils down to compromise between you - the parent and your graduate. Consider who's been the most influential or given support to your graduate. Grandparents, uncles and aunts. You might have to separate a family, if for example, Uncle Michael is on the must invite list, but his wife and kids aren't. If you don't like this idea then invite Uncle Michael and his family to the after party.
For relatives who didn't make the invited list, explain the situation. You might want to say something like "We have a limited number of tickets. And we couldn't invite everyone we wanted. We'd love for you to come to the after party" Even with your explanation, some people might want to know, "Who was invited if I wasn't." Your best bet is to tell the truth because they'll find out anyway. The hardest part in leveling with people is your unease and anxiety in answering the question.
More High School Graduation Ceremony Dilemmas
With limited guest tickets, there's someone on your guest list who won't be able to share the event. However, with Facebook Live and Periscope, you can live stream the moment your graduate walks across the stage. This is will allow others to celebrate the moment with you.
Speaking of social media, make sure that you post your photos and video clips after the ceremony. Remember that you should show respect to all graduates not just your own.
When it comes to seating guests, it's all about strategy. Seat those who get along well with each other and put the loud mouths on the fringe of the group.
High School Graduation Party Dilemmas
After high school graduation ceremony, many families have parties to honor their graduates. Like with any family gathering, it can get awkward quickly. And, high school graduates have friends they want to celebrate with, but who can they when everyone has their own graduation party.
In my opinion, high school graduates can get a pass and skip out on their own parties. But, they have to enjoy their own parties first and mingle with their own guests. I mean have a mini-conversation with everyone and express your appreciation to them for attending your party. The most common mistake body language mistake when graduates are ready to bolt to the next party is turning their bodies and feet away from the person their talking to.
Boyfriends and Girlfriends In Family High School Graduation Photos
With graduation ceremonies and parties, you'll be taking a record number of photos. The situation becomes sticky when handling family photos with your graduate's love interest. Preempt the awkwardness by taking photos of the two of them in their cap and gowns if the love interest is also a graduate. Or, make sure to take plenty of photos of them at the ceremony and the after party.
When the love interest feels included in some of the photos then it's less awkward when it's family photo time. But, if they don't get the hint when you say "family" photos then you have to level with them. Tell them what photos, if any of the family ones, they'll be in. Or, tell them that you'll take some candid shots of them and your graduate after the family photos. It's all about sensitivity of their feelings.
How would you handle any high school graduation hiccups? You can tweet me at @blancacobb. Remember to use the hashtag #BlancaOn2. Or, you can find me on my facebook page.
Blanca Cobb is a WFMY News 2 Contributing Editor, body language expert and keynote speaker/trainer who covers nonverbal communication, psychology and behavior. Follow her @blancacobb. The opinions expressed in this article are exclusively hers.
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