July 30, 2026 at 12:45 pm

“How Do We Choose?”: Parents Face Impossible Dilemma Over Daughters’ Back-to-Back Convocations

by Sarrah Murtaza

Sad woman in pink sweater

Pexels/Reddit

Some situations in life can get very tricky to navigate!

This family is divided because both daughters have their graduation just one day apart in two completely different locations!

Check out the full story.

AITA For Not Attending My Daughters Graduation?

I have two senior daughters graduating a day apart.

It sounds simplistic, except one is a high school senior (Mia) and the other in college (Danielle), and they are graduating roughly 14 hours apart (6pm and 8am) and there is not a single plane for my family to take that would allow us to be at both graduations.

UH OH!

Driving is unfortunately not an option as I’d still miss a daughter graduating, so it was decided I would attend one and my husband would attend another. Neither girl is happy about this.

Mia struggled a lot throughout school due to bullying and mental health issues, so for her, graduating high school is a really big deal. We almost had to pull her from public school multiple times due to how bad the bullying was.

She has known basically since freshman year Danielle would likely not be able to attend her graduation and has expressed that though she is disappointed, she understands Danielle is an adult now who will not always be present for these events.

That’s INSANE!

However, after realizing Danielle’s graduation falls directly after Mia’s and the conversation switched to which parent would attend which graduation, Mia has completely shut down and refuses to talk about the situation without crying.

The main issue stems from the fact that Danielle will have two graduations: her graduation for her major (which is the day after Mia’s) & her graduation for her entire class (which is a week after Mia’s).

I explained to Mia that the bigger graduation means Danielle will likely not have her name called or walk the stage, and that is something that is done at the smaller graduation.

Things are already tensed!

The entire family will fly out to the bigger graduation, but sometimes sacrifices need to be made.

That upset her more.

Danielle is also upset because she will not have her entire family at the more “important” graduation — Mia’s response is always that Danielle already had everyone at her high school graduation, and she’ll have everyone at her big ceremony.

The family is split down the middle and somehow I’m at the center of it all as the one person who can make the final decision about if we miss one graduation altogether or divide and conquer.

YIKES! That sounds like a tricky situation!

Why would the girls not try to make arrangements for their parents here?

Let’s find out what folks on Reddit think about this one.

This user thinks each parent should attend one graduation.

Screenshot 2026 07 29 154645 How Do We Choose?: Parents Face Impossible Dilemma Over Daughters Back to Back Convocations

This user suggests playing with the divide and conquer theory.

Screenshot 2026 07 29 154702 How Do We Choose?: Parents Face Impossible Dilemma Over Daughters Back to Back Convocations

This user knows this is not a win or lose situation anymore!

Screenshot 2026 07 29 154719 How Do We Choose?: Parents Face Impossible Dilemma Over Daughters Back to Back Convocations

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a mom who wants her daughter to help pay for her own cell phone, but her daughter says she can’t force her to get a job.

This user knows this whole situation sucks.

Screenshot 2026 07 29 154736 How Do We Choose?: Parents Face Impossible Dilemma Over Daughters Back to Back Convocations

This user knows there’s only one way out of this situation.

Screenshot 2026 07 29 154752 How Do We Choose?: Parents Face Impossible Dilemma Over Daughters Back to Back Convocations

Somebody needs to find neutral ground here!

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Sarrah Murtaza | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Sarrah Murtaza is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and interpersonal drama. With nearly six years of experience in digital publishing, she excels at identifying compelling, community-driven conversations and elevating them into highly engaging narratives.

Sarrah brings a unique, narrative-focused approach to her journalism. Drawing on her professional background as a screenwriter and director, she has a sharp editorial eye for human conflict and motivation. This allows her to transform everyday online dilemmas and relationship dynamics into well-structured, empathetic stories that resonate deeply with readers.

As a dedicated remote professional, Sarrah uses her location independence to travel the world, bringing a diverse and exploratory perspective to her writing. When she isn't crafting stories, she can usually be found exploring a new city or working on her latest creative project.

Connect with Sarrah on Instagram and read her extended essays on Medium.