Many people see those who throw graduation parties as narcissistic (full disclosure, I am one of those people throwing a graduation party). They ask why these people are throwing parties for an event that everyone (well, almost everyone) is experiencing? What is special about these people? Well, honestly, I think the truth is that the people who are throwing graduation parties are just more willing to put in the effort required to organize a party than others. Yes, they are probably more at home being the center of attention than their peers, but this doesn’t mean they’re narcissistic. Or, alternatively, they could have been pushed into throwing a party by their parents. I know that’s basically what happened with me.
I will concede one point to those who argue that graduation parties are a waste of time. It is kind of ridiculous to expect your friends to get you a gift for graduating when they themselves are graduating and aren’t asking for any gifts. But at least from my experience, most grads don’t expect gifts from friends at their parties. I have not brought a gift to a single graduation party I went to and am not expecting gifts from friends at mine. The gifts are expected more from the relatives- who would probably give their niece, nephew, etc. money for graduating even if they weren’t throwing a party. Besides, graduation parties cost money too, and would it make sense to spend a lot of money in the hopes of receiving money?
Rather than being seen as desperate attempts to pay for college tuition, graduation parties should be looked at as a last get-together of all of a graduate’s friends before they all go off to college and head their separate ways. And what’s wrong with that?
