Graduation-smaduation

After I had four children and navigated all sorts of challenges that adulthood threw my way, I decided to go back to school. So, for the last 2 years, I worked online to obtain my degree. My intention is to complete my degrees by the time that my youngest (Jack) is ready for Kindergarten. Therefore, I completed my AA in Business last spring and took the summer off from school (after not having so much as a break for 2 years- this became much more necessary) . I am going back for a bachelors in Marketing on September 29th... so my life will soon be thrust back into school mode.

When I graduated in the spring and received my diploma in the mail a couple weeks later, I was happy and celebrated as most do (sleeping and reading all the books I've been dying to get to). Then I received a notification about a graduation ceremony. Now, since I'd done my degree entirely online, I don't really have lasting connections with my classmates and therefore an actual ceremony seemed pointless. Alas, my husband argued that I had worked hard (and I had) and it was important to acknowledge this with a little more than a box from the mailman. In addition, he stated that our children need to see the fruits of my labor. They need to experience what it is that I worked so hard for. They need to grasp in even the slightest bit that hard work pays off, especially when they saw me work so hard on homework and papers for so many years. Education is important... period. They need to value the work that they put into their studies and capture the passion that we have for education. If my example says anything to them, it is about how I value learning and approach my life.

After a little deliberation, I decided to attend graduation and thus went about registering and ordering my garments. I could have 8 tickets, so I took all 8 because I didn't know who would come and didn't want to short-change myself.
Now, it is a week from graduation and I don't know if it's even worth it. My family is going to be out of town and we didn't want to take Jack and Sophia (because a 3 hour ceremony with a 2 and 4 year old didn't seem like the smartest move). In addition, I'm not even sure that anyone else in the family would like to come. Granted, I haven't really pushed them on this one. In fact, right now my in-laws are dropping one of their kids off at Princeton for college and thus are out of town. They will be home before long and then I will broach the subject with them. However, I don't know if they would like to come and/or if they might be able to take our two youngest.

So, I am feeling a little like this whole graduation thing is not worth the effort. I've already got the diploma and now I'm having second thoughts about going through with the ceremony.

Maybe it's just my own uncertainty. Is it really worth it? Does anyone go to their ceremonies? It's just a tiny degree in the grand scheme of things... does it really matter?

I suppose I must go now that I've actually spent the money, but I wonder.... I need to get some confidence... Why can't I simply stand in my accomplishment and be proud of it?