What do you write in a graduation card from parents?

Tell them what you saw: the work, the hard year, the person they became. “We watched every late night. You earned every bit of this.” says more than advice does.

How much money do you put in a graduation card?

There is no rule, and it depends on how close you are. Whatever the amount, a line saying what you hope they do with it makes it feel less like a transaction.

What do you write to a graduate you do not know well?

Keep it warm and short: “Congratulations on your graduation. Wishing you every good thing in what comes next.”

What to write in a graduation card

They will get a stack of cards that say “the future is yours”. The one they keep is the one that says something only you would know. Copy any of these, then add one line about them.

From Mom and Dad

We watched every late night. You earned every bit of this.
We have been proud of you since before you could spell “graduate”.
You did this yourself. We just drove you to it.
Whatever comes next, you already have what it takes. We have seen it.
The house will be quieter. Our hearts will not. Congratulations.
You were always going to get here. We are so glad we got to watch.
Go as far as you like. The door here stays open.
Today you get the diploma. We got the better deal: we got you.

From grandparents

We are so proud of you. We told everyone at the diner, the bank and the grocery store.
We watched you learn to walk. Now look where you are going.
Your great-grandparents would have loved to see this day.
Work hard, be kind, call your grandmother.
You have made this whole family proud.
The first in the family to do this. We could not be prouder.
With all our love, and a little something to start you off.

For a high school graduate

Congratulations. You survived the hallway. Everything after this is easier.
Four years, done. The best ones are still ahead.
You are ready, even if it does not feel like it.
So proud of the person you became in those four years.
Go find out what you love. Then come home and tell us about it.
Take pictures. Call home. Wash your sheets.
Here is to what is next, whatever you decide it is.

For a college graduate

Congratulations, graduate. All that coffee was for something.
You worked for this, and it shows.
The degree is yours forever. So is everything you learned getting it.
From first-year nerves to this. What a thing to have watched.
The world just got someone good. Congratulations.
You finished what you started. That will carry you further than the degree.
Rest for a week. Then go and be brilliant.

Funny

Congratulations. Please enjoy this card, as it is the last thing anyone will give you for free.
You did it. Now do your own laundry.
Welcome to the real world. The food is worse and nobody grades on a curve.
Smart enough to graduate, smart enough to open the card and look for the check.
We always knew you would graduate. We just did not know when.
Congratulations on finishing something that was not a streaming series.

With a gift of money

A little something for the first month. Spend it on something you will remember.
For books, rent or a very good dinner. Your choice.
To start you off. We believe in where you are going.
Do not save all of it.

Short ones

So proud of you.
You did it.
Onward.
Congratulations, graduate.
Love, all of us.
We knew you would.

How to write your own

Say congratulations and name what they finished.
Name one thing you watched them do to get here: the early shifts, the retakes, the year that nearly broke them.
Tell them what you see in them, not what they should do next.
Skip the advice, or keep it to one line.