If you were given the choice between a big, flashy vacation and attending your niece’s college graduation, which would you pick? One of the options is objectively a lot more fun for you, but the other gives you a chance to make someone you love feel appreciated and special. Attending a graduation is a lot cheaper than going to Disney World, but if you can only afford to do one of those things, you might choose the more expensive fun option over the frugal, less thrilling option. After all, you can only get so much time off work to travel. 

There’s a difference between skipping out on your niece or nephew’s graduation and your son’s or daughter’s. I don’t care how many credit card vacation points you have; as a parent, you have a duty to support your children in their significant life accomplishments, barring some major catastrophe that prevents it.