Congratulations, Class of 2024! You did it!

Graduation day is an extremely exciting moment in all students’ lives. After working hard for years and looking forward to holding a diploma in your hand, you finally get the chance to walk across that stage and say goodbye to the institution that provided you with a great education.

Because this day is so special, most graduates expect to leave the ceremony and find their closest friends and family members waiting for them. So when one teen realized that his parents left the ceremony prematurely, he decided that he was no longer in the mood for photos. Below, you’ll find the full story that the teen recently shared on Reddit, as well as a conversation between the graduate and Bored Panda.

Graduation is an extremely important day for students

Image credits: Charles DeLoye (not the actual image)

So when this teen realized that his parents left the ceremony without telling him, he decided he was no longer in the mood for photos

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual image)

Image credits: FunnyAffectionate795

Later, the teen responded to several readers and shared more information about the situation

Graduation is an important accomplishment that deserves to be celebrated

Graduation is a huge accomplishment. Whether you’ve graduated from high school, university, or just earned your PhD, it’s always worth celebrating. In fact, not everyone earns even a high school diploma, as only 87% of people in the United States have one. And in some states, graduation rates are as low as 77%. Students deserve to be proud of their hard work in high school and celebrate completing this milestone, and it’s only natural for them to want to have their loved ones around cheering them on.

To find out more about this situation, we reached out to the teen who posted this story online, Reddit user FunnyAffectionate795. He was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and provide an update on what’s happened since. 

“My parents haven’t stopped asking me to take photos, but my mom took a screenshot of the photo my school posted of me and made it her profile photo,” he shared. “That happened yesterday, and they still asked me to put on my cap and gown for another photo.”

“My parents keep apologizing to me and telling me that they didn’t intend to hurt my feelings, and they just want a picture to remember my graduation,” the graduate continued. “I still refused. I don’t understand why they’d want a picture to remember something they weren’t even at, and I told them this too. They are still acting like I’m being unfair to them.”

Image credits: Emily Ranquist (not the actual image)

“I just wanted someone there for me, and I don’t understand why my parents were so eager to leave me by myself”

As far as why his parents were so quick to leave his graduation, FunnyAffectionate795 says, “They told me that they were just really excited and anxious when they got the call and rushed without thinking things through. They didn’t even inform my sister that they were coming.”

“On top of that, they told me that they stayed longer than what they said that they were planning on staying thinking it’ll make me feel better,” he added. “This just really upset me because I just wanted someone there for me, and I don’t understand why my parents were so eager to leave me by myself.”

“I even told them this, and they just apologized and told me that they would have stayed if they were in their right mind, but hearing the news of the baby clouded their judgment,” The OP revealed. “It’s really hard for me to accept their apology because them not being there for me still makes me sad, and I still remember how disappointed I was when I realized that they were gone.”

We also asked FunnyAffectionate795 if he managed to get some photos at graduation for himself. “I was able to get a few photos of myself and with some of my friends, but not many,” he noted. “All of the photos I have of myself are from before my graduation even started.”

But the graduate noted that he really wasn’t in the mood for taking photos after realizing his parents weren’t there. “However, my school took a couple of photos of everyone, including one of me smiling at the camera and one when I received my diploma,” he shared. “I did show them the photos I took of myself, but I was never going to send them to them. My parents want to be the ones to take the photo themselves and want a photo of all of us together.”

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual image)

“It felt nice seeing everyone congratulate me and tell me that they were proud of me”

Thankfully, the OP shared that he found the replies to his post very supportive and validating. “It was nice to hear that others understood my feelings and didn’t think I was wrong for being upset,” he told Bored Panda. “I did find the replies helpful.”

“I was having doubts at first because people were calling me [a jerk] and the messages I was receiving weren’t the nicest, but after a while, I tried to focus on the more respectful ones and found a lot of people who also didn’t have their parents at their graduation,” FunnyAffectionate795 continued. “I was given a lot of advice and encouragement from everyone, and it honestly made me feel less alone in the situation.”

Finally, the graduate added, “I realize I can’t change the past, and I know holding a grudge won’t get me anywhere, so I’m hoping that with time, I’ll be able to forgive my parents. It’s just comforting knowing that I’m not wrong for how I feel, if that makes sense.”

“I truly want to thank everyone for the kind messages and the nice replies. It really made me feel seen and heard because my parents weren’t even listening to me or considering how I felt at the time,” he shared. “It felt nice seeing everyone congratulate me and tell me that they were proud of me. It really helped, and I’m truly grateful for that.”

Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk (not the actual image)

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing family drama at graduation, look no further than right here!

Many readers assured the teen that he had every right to feel frustrated

However, some thought that his sister’s labor should have taken priority in this situation

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