Tonight is Ridgeview High School’s Junior/Senior Prom. My daughter and her friends have decided to forgo the usual pre-prom dinner out and opt instead to have pizza at home. They don’t have to wait for a table for a big group (it’s up to 9 now) and it’s lots cheaper. And instead of a limo (besides, they waited too long to order one) they’re carpooling - my van and one more vehicle.
So, it’s about 3 now. Her dress is ironed and ready, her nails are painted, and she’s got a hair appointment at 4. As soon as she’s coiffed, she’s coming home to dress, then off to pick up her b/f and another couple (pausing for pics along the way.) Everyone is due at the house here about 6. I’m going to order and pick up the pizza for them - I’m such a good mommy.
I baked a cake earlier today - she wanted it heart-shaped. It says “Let them eat cake!” and it has sprinkles on it. They’ll also have some sodas and breadsticks. The prom starts at 8 and it’s being held at the University of North Florida - about a 45 minute drive from here, I think.
My baby’s almost all growed up!! <sniff sniff> I look at her baby pictures hanging on the wall, then I look at her. Where did the years go? We’ve kidded her for the last 5 or 6 years that once she hits 18, she’s outta here. I’m not ready for that. All those years can’t have passed already. The teeny-tiny t-shirts are being worn my her old teddy bear. She’s taller than I am and she almost doesn’t need me any more.
And tonight’s her prom. My child. My one and only. I’m not ready for this.
My (only child) son is a senior this year, too. I know exactly what you’re going through. My first shock was when we went to pick out his senior pictures. I thought at first they had brought out the wrong ones, because I was looking at pictures of a grown man! Prom was three weeks ago and I nearly fainted when he put his tux on, then he and his date went to one of the nicest restaurants in town. He made the reservations himself and everything! And it seems like only yesterday I was teaching him basic table manners. sigh My baby’s grown up.
BTW, I think your daughter and her friends have sensible, refreshing values!
Word of advice: if you give her the camera to take pics at Prom be sure you have a new roll of film in it.
Week before last when my daughter went to Prom, I hastily grabbed a roll off the dresser and put it in the camera.
When the pictures came back we were horrified to find out that I had given her the roll which my son had used to take pictures of his trip to China at Christmas.
So we have various double exposures; prom girls with the Great Wall in the background; a camel juxtaposed against C’s car; a bronze lion with prom decorations around him.
You know, I don’t believe I’ve ever had both my kids mad at me at once. sigh
Yoiks, Annie, I hadn’t thought about that. Fortunately, I have a number of bib-type aprons (my mom used to be a caterer and she gave me a pile of them) so that should help. I could also offer them big ol’ t-shirts to pull over their dresses, but I doubt that they’ll want to risk their up-do’s. I’ll find enough drop cloths for all of them.
lorinada, it’s partly values, partly that most of them don’t have jobs at the moment so they’re living off allowances. I think my daughter and her date forgot to order a corsage and boutonniere, too. But I am glad that they’re not obsessed with doing all the traditional expensive stuff. They can go crazy when they’re seniors.
NinetyWt, she’s got two new rolls of film. (Better check the batteries for her…) Good thing, because I don’t have a camera - mine died last year. Plus her date’s family will be taking pics, as will her best friend’s mother when she picks that couple up. Plus they’re having the formal prom photos done ($89??? B/f’s grandparents are picking up that tab)
She’s headed out to the salon. I’ve got to clear the dining room table and put in the extension so they’ll have enough room. Thank goodness I have disposable plates - I won’t have to do dishes afterwards! The menus will be 3 large pizzas - one Howie Maui, one plain cheese, one pepperoni, and an order of cheesy bread for the non-tomato eater in the bunch. Chocolate cake for dessert. Coke and Sprite to drink.
Heh. My senior prom’s tonight and my mom’s getting all mushy. But only in that “I got my daughter to do her hair up nice and wear a dress!” sort of way.
I opted not to tell her that my best friend and I probably won’t stay at the actual prom all that terribly long because neither of us care much for dances, not even the prom. It’s way more fun just to wander around the mall in formal attire anyway. (But it’s all worth it for my hair. Pretty hair…)
Jess, what’s even more fun is going into grocery stores while all dressed up. I never did it in formal attire, but I did go enroute to a Halloween party. It was fun watching people trying not to notice… [mom mode]But do tell your mom when you leave the dance. We worry. Because we care.[/mom mode]
twickster, since we do photos the old fashioned way, you’ll have to wait till they’re developed and scanned. I’ll post some. We need a prom page…
Oh yeah, another little item I just found out about a little while ago - daughter and bestest friend since kindergarten went this week and got their eyebrows plucked and shaped. GAH! There was nothing wrong with their real eyebrows!! You have to understand, I don’t wear makeup and I don’t pluck. I barely bother to shave my legs, fercryinoutloud. And I birthed a girly-girl!! :eek:
I have…a cell phone! And I will call. Either way, I’ve filled her in on what we plan to do, more or less. But I doubt we’ll be out late, even though my parents and Friend’s parents have more or less demanded we do something after prom.
Well, I have a dining room full of kids eating pizza - girls in gowns, guys in tuxes. They look so grown up but they’re talking like a bunch of goofy kids.
Ah, youth…
No screams of horror yet, so the pizza is making it successfully from plate to mouth. Soon they’ll be on their way and I can let the dog out of the bedroom and the house will be mine.
So the prom is history. They stayed till almost the end, then headed to IHOP before going home. I heard my daughter come in around 1:30. She finally dragged her sleepy self to the shower some time after 10 this morning.
The pizza party was a hit - she commented on how nice it was to be able to sit and talk with her friends and not have to yell over a noisy restaurant. Plus 9 of them ate for about $35, not including the cake. From the conversations I overheard, I’d say they enjoyed themselves here.
I think the only part of the evening that disappointed her was that her camera rewound the film after 5 photos. It did that to her once before. I mentioned that it must be broken and she said something about the number of times she’s dropped it. um, DUH! She did have a one-time-use camera, and her friends were all taking photos, so I’m sure they’ll all scan and share.
She and her b/f had a picture taken together as well as individual shots. That packages is supposed to be delivered in a week. I’ll see if I can scan and post one of those.
So that’s that. School’s out on May 21. Then my baby will be a senior.
Of course she does! I’m 23 and I still need my mom now and then.
Most of the time, it’s. . . “How do you cook (insert food here)?” But sometimes I just call to say hi. And tell her I miss her. Last week or so, tho’, my cousin and I were talking about how different our moms are. (My mother is her mother’s sister.) I ended up calling my mom just to tell her thanks for being a good mom. I bet you’ll get a call like that one day, too.
Of course, sometimes I still need my dad, too. I called him one day to ask what would happen if, say, you flushed a tube of mascara down the toilet. :eek:
'Twas okay. I had more fun that I expected at the actual prom…after all, I did get to see one of my more uptight classmates try the Macarena. Bwahahaha! It’s good for him that I didn’t have a camera, otherwise the second he started his expected political career 10 years from now, I would’ve found reason to haul out photos. Poor guy. He’s nice, if a bit egotistical at times, but so fun to tease.
But I could’ve done without all of the awe. “Ohhh my god, it’s the… ::hushed voice:: the prom!” Bleh. I just liked being with my friends, and I certainly wouldn’t’ve minded not having the formal wear in order to do so, special occasion or not.
And you’ll be glad to know that I called my mom to tell her when I left the dance. Even though we just went to Walmart and then home after that…
FCM, I’m so glad things went so well! So how much leftovers did you end up with? My daughter was trying on dresses just today. (Remember, the free prom…cousin had a dress…well, it was too short. Now there’s a surprise.) We had just been through this for semi-formal in January. I’m still taken aback at how incredible she looks when she’s got one of those gowns on with the high heels. Too good!
She’s going with a black dress, which is what she wore to semi (I mean a different dress, but still black) so NO NEW SHOES are needed. God was smiling down upon me there.
Can’t wait to see pics!
But I doubt we’ll be out late, even though my parents and Friend’s parents have more or less demanded we do something after prom.