Graduation and buying grade dresses

Hi golfproo, everyone wants to look great for special occassion and your daughter is no exception. It is her graduation and she wants to look her best. It may be an expensive dress and it will only be worn once, but remember that you wont want her to feel sad. Probably you can reason with her.

I think is not advisable to buy it just for one occassion. Just get a borrowed one from close relative or rent it from the shop.

Your daughter must be a similar age to mine. My daughter has just turned 14 years & is in year 9 at high school. She had her primary school graduation at the end of tear 7. The dress is a big issue for their graduation. With my daughter we were fairly lucky, in that her dress could be used again. Well, twice anyway. My wedding was to be about 2 months before the graduation, and as my daughter was to be my bridesmaid, I bought a dress suitable for both. It was over $100.00, but for my wedding that was okay. Two months later she wore it to her graduation. Two months after that it was my brothers wedding, so she was able to wear it then also. Of course, by then it only just fitted. Since then she has worn it for a drama production at school once or twice, but needed help in doing up the zip! Not only will your daughter probably only have the one function to wear it too, but it is likely she is in a rapid growing spurt. If your daughters heart is se on this dress, I would be tempted to buy it, if you can afford it. But then I am a bit weak with my daughter. Is there any possibility you can resell it after, at a good 2nd hand shop, or privately? Tell me more about your daughters graduation later, as we seem to have things in common.

I think it is important to acknowledge your daughter's accomplishments and to celebrate this graduation with her... Regarding the dress...I would proabably go shopping with her and help her to pick out a suitable dress...within a reasonable amount of money....let's face it....if you do not buy her the dress...you will be considered a shmuck....but it does not have to be the most expensive dress out there.... Look at the dress that she has picked...the colors, the cut, the fabric....then see what else is out there.....many times you can find similar dresses for a fraction of the cost if you are willing to spend some time looking for it....it will also give you and your daughter some extra one-on-one time together..... Let her know that you are proud of her and that her desires are important to you but economics is a lesson well learned when practiced...if you know what I mean... Good Luck with this situation....

Well, I would. But, then I've got a lot of credit cards I'm trying to pay off. So my decisions aren't probably the best to follow. It is awfully hard to say no, especially since they do make the 8th grade graduations so important now.

I am not completely familiar with the grade system, but i would only provide a dress for the two main events, high school graduation and university graduation and i would impose a sort of grade related task. Such as, if you obtaain a c or above in your exams i will buy you the dress and hire a limo for you to arrive in, if you get less then this then i will be driving you there in your uncles lada and you will be arriving in one of my 70's dresses. Only joking. I would definately limit it to the final years of the most important degrees of education though.

I'd say go ahead and get the dress if you don't think you could convince her to love a less expensive one. If she is really in love with the dress and this is her big graduation I would let her do it. Maybe there is a slight chance she would be able to wear it to a school dance or something before she outgrows it? If not i'd still do it. Everyone wants to feel special and to look their best at a graduation. I remember being very pick at that age as well :)