Planning A Graduation Party Is Stressful For Moms

We are heading into graduation season, and as a mom of a senior, I am overwhelmed with it all. We have already received four graduation party invites, so apparently, I’m totally behind in this frantic pace of planning. Now, I am inundated with thoughts of the countless steps I still have to take to prepare for this big event. There are so many decisions that come with planning a graduation party for our kids, and not one of them is easy. 

Planning a graduation party is stressful for moms.

Picking the date for the celebration is the first nearly impossible feat. It must be convenient for long-distance family members who will be traveling and other significant people who have their own scheduled special events or summer vacation plans. And most importantly, we must also ensure it doesn’t interfere with all the friends’ grad parties too. This is tedious and time-consuming, and it’s only the beginning of preparing for this big day for our soon-to-be graduates! 

Finding a venue for these graduation parties can be challenging as most places need reservations months in advance. It has to be large enough for the masses, affordable, and, of course, a place our graduates want to have. If you’re hosting the party at your own house, there’s all the cleaning and clearing out everything for the gathering, getting enough chairs and tables, and if it’s outside, you’ll be praying it doesn’t rain. 

The invitation must be diligently designed using our senior’s best photos while carefully choosing special fonts that give detailed information. Then, we go through the long invite list, find addresses, and add new names of people we continue to think of who would want to attend.

We’ll plan all the foods we can serve that most everyone would like- while also making sure we order the cake in time. Meanwhile, there are all the decisions on what decorations to put up, what photos or awards our graduates would like to display, and all the work that goes into the countless details and duties to execute it all on that big day. And after everything we do to have this special party, we’ll anxiously hope a lot of people will show up for our graduate.

I am well aware of the extravagant efforts many parents put into these graduation parties for their kids, with all the lavish catering, elaborate decor, and extensive displays of pictures and awards. We are not those parents. We are simple, boring, frugal people who live on a tight budget. I’m honestly just not good at planning and hosting big social events, and crowds of people cause me great anxiety. It’s so hard not to feel insecure and compare our graduation party to all the other grad parties we will attend, along with my kid, who will be hopping around to every single one of them. 

Some moms are extraordinary planners and social event managers who easily focus on every little detail, making it absolutely PERFECT for their kids. I worry about it all because I get frazzled and distracted with too many things to do, and there’s a big chance I’ll forget about something.

These graduation parties are a big deal. And I get it—I really do. This is the biggest celebration of our kids’ lives and the last hoorah before they set out on their own. Our graduates deserve all this special attention from those who love them and are very proud of their accomplishments. All of us moms want to empower our kids as they head into the future, make their plans, and prepare for takeoff wherever they go. We want to give them this special memory that includes everything and everyone they love, and my gosh, we want to give it our all. 

But the pressure is too much on us moms, who end up doing pretty much everything to plan and carry out this grand event. The list of tasks to complete is long, time-consuming, stressful, and overwhelming. It’s not that we don’t want to do all these things for our cherished children. It’s not that we don’t believe this is a big priority either. It’s just that we are already under the weight of so many things we have to coordinate and organize for our kids on top of planning this monumental festivity. 

We try so hard to plan our graduate’s party that meets everyone’s needs, making sure our kid feels special and celebrated while also attempting to process the unraveling reality of what all this really means. Our kid is graduating high school. Big changes are coming. 

We are attending all the awards ceremonies and banquets, all the “lasts” of sports seasons, theater performances, and dance competitions. We are watching our kids excitedly participate in all the “Senior” special activities, and it’s a lot to sink in for us moms.

So after we’ve created our seniors’ poster boards, collected all their awards, attended all their special events and competitions, and taken photos of all the last special moments, it will be time for the graduation ceremony and our big celebratory party.

Planning a graduation party is stressful for moms. So, if you are anxiously fretting over allthethings, let’s do our best to focus on the joy of this monumental moment for our kids. Let’s try not to worry too much about all the duties and details and if it will be enough for our kids or anyone else! This is a highlight for sure, but nothing is treasured more than all those moments we’ve spent with our children that only we know as moms. What an incredible privilege we’ve both earned and been given- to be a mom of a graduate. Whether the party is a flop and no one shows up, or the food tastes bad and storms move in, let’s make sure we stay positive and not let ANYTHING hinder our ultimate goal: To make sure our graduate feels special and loved.