<p>“The 17-year-old girl was all set to go to the prom, she was excited, but things took a turn for the worse this week when her date backed out. Then, the girl was shocked to learn that she is not allowed to go the prom by herself due to a rule by the Archdiocese.”</p>
<p>Sheer stupidity–I suppose they feel a girl isn’t worthy unless she has a teenage boy by her side. For crying out loud–this is 2012.</p>
<p>Gah. As someone who had a terrible experience in Catholic school, I can’t tell you how much more this makes me loathe that kind of thinking. That poor girl.</p>
<p>ETA: Also, what kind of low life cancels the week of prom? He better have a darn good reason or, IMO, he and the school should reimburse her prom costs.</p>
<p>It’s a stupid rule.<br>
However, it is easy to get around it- she can just find any guy from her class who wants to go, walk in together, and then do whatever she wants the rest of the night.</p>
<p>That’s a shame Barrons. In Seattle we are generally more flexible. You can go by yourself or with a group, with a boy or with a girl, even to the senior prom.
My daughters have done all the above.</p>
If the school is making things difficult, they may not allow this either, because it may be too late to buy a ticket. The guy who backed out should go with her, and then slip out.</p>
<p>That is so sad, having a daughter who’s prom date just broke up with her I can tell you that poor girl is probably upset enough already. How closed minded of the school from not letting her attend.
Luckily my daughter has other friends that don’t have dates so she can go with them.</p>
<p>I was so proud of my D’s group. They all decided early on to all go, date or not. I’m pretty sure that finding the perfect dress was a much bigger deal than finding a date. Out of 18 of them, 2 were dating guys already, 12 found dates, and 4 came without. Everyone was included in the pictures, in the limos, at the tables, at the after party.</p>
<p>I want to teach my Ds that they don’t need to rely on a guy to make them happy. Make your own happiness. The girl’s school certainly isn’t trying to teach that lesson!</p>
<p>Participation in any school activity should not be based upon whether a student has a date or not. Ever. This is ridiculous and I would raise you know what if it were my D.</p>
<p>Among my kids’ and their friends, very few went to prom at all. Prom was looked at as sort of old-fashioned and an expensive waste of money. I’m sort of surprised that in some places it’s still a big deal.</p>
<p>She should be able to go by herself and meet up with her friends when she gets there. There isn’t any reason why a school should make her walk into the prom with a teenage boy holding her hand. </p>
<p>The policy set by this Archdiocese is not only archaic, but makes the assumption that a young woman is not worthy unless she has a young man by her side. It’s so wrong.</p>
<p>PS–Our local public school allows for many arrangements. The only restriction I can think of is that freshmen are not allowed as dates. We’ve had boys with boys, girls with girls, groups of friends, etc. It didn’t matter. The point of the prom was for the students to gather together and enjoy a fun night.</p>
<p>My son’s at Villanova which is practically next door to the high school. Wonder if he or one of his friends would be willing to step in? Surely a casual/stranger date would be preferable to the Archdiocese than going solo ?</p>
Presumably they wouldn’t let a boy go without a date, either.</p>
<p>I agree that this policy is wrong-headed, but the school has a problem if it changes the policy for her–does it now–just before the prom–have to let anybody who doesn’t have a date attend? While that would be ideal, it could create a lot of problems.</p>
<p>25 years ago, my date backed out a week before my prom. There was some grumbling about it from my Catholic high school but my parents intervened and I was allowed to go by myself. 25 years ago!</p>
?</p>