As a kid I was raised with a very strict belief system by my peers’ standards. There were a lot of things I would or could not do that other kids took for granted. There were places I had to be and things I held very dear that would not allow me to participate with and ingratiate myself with my peers at school more than I had to on a daily basis already. I never went to any homecoming, basketball game or overnight school trip. It never bothered me. Senior Prom was the last hurrah for our little class of 47 and aside from graduation it was something I wanted to attend.
Deep in my heart I knew my parents would not be thrilled about me going to prom even with just a small group. So, despite what my classmates would think, I invited my mom and dad to be my ‘date’ to prom. Yeah, I know it sounds weird. I’ve always been tight with my mom and though our beliefs are strict she is pretty cool. Strange as it sounded I can’t remember anyone, not even one, of my classmates making fun of me for it. I think it’s because I owned it and didn’t cower in shame because of it. It was something I wanted to do and I found a way to do it no matter the possible snickers. It turned out great.
Two friends of mine were also going ‘stag’ so it was our plan to hang out and joke around most of the evening. It was great fun. We ate prime rib and danced and laughed until our sides hurt. Really, mom and dad had fun too. You could tell they were a little uncomfortable being outnumbered by all the kids but they did it for me. I love them for it.
The most stressful part of the ordeal turned out to be the dress. I looked at local stores to come up empty handed. I didn’t want to wear something low cut, too short, too tight or flimsy so I asked for help from ‘the master’. My mom was is a ‘jane-of-all-trades’ and her favorite is being a seamstress. She learned how to make her own patterns when she was young and made my clothes for as long as I can remember and even before. We found a pattern that had a fitted, floor length, black dress with a side slit and matching bolero. Our school colors were black and white so I wanted the trim of the collar and lapel to be white. She helped me find the perfect fabric for the dress and lining and the white satin we needed. It was going to be a lot of work.
We worked every evening up until the day of prom. We were running WAAAAY behind on getting things put together that she put me in charge of putting the dress together with the lining while she finished assembling and pressing the bolero. Well, in my hurry I put the lining in backwards and accidentally closed where the slit was going to be in the front. PANIC!!! She helped me tear the whole thing apart and put it back together. It really is too bad there was not an online store like JenJenHouse where I could have picked the perfect prom dress without all the hassle and worry of if I’d put it together the right way! If it had been around I would have picked this beauty of a gown –
A-Line/Princess Scoop Neck Floor-Length Tulle Prom Dress With Ruffle Lace #018019083
The dress would probably still have needed alteration because I am only 5’1″ after all. At least it wouldn’t have been a sewing debacle like it was. What memories though :).
What are your favorite memories about senior prom?
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
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