<p>I did not go. No regrets. But I do remember watching one of the guys who asked me to go pick up his date. She was a friend who lived down the street. I kind of stalked. I’ve never told her he asked me to go. I’ve always wondered why I stalked since I didn’t want to go. Haha.</p>
<p>I encouraged all 3 of my kids to go. Not really sure why. They all attended at least one. Not all with dates. Some more elaborate (limo, etc.) than others. And I have come to the conclusion, and they probably agree, that proms are ridiculous! But I guess they seem exciting when you are 17 or 18.</p>
<p>I did not go to prom, back in 1971. AFAIK, it was mostly football players and frosh/soph girls. </p>
<p>S did not go to prom either. I was mildly disappointed, since I would have liked him to have a more active social life in HS than I did. He, however, was perfectly content. I don’t think that any of his friends went to prom either. It just isn’t a big deal to most guys. </p>
<p>H went to his prom. But that was in the midwest, and his family was much more conventional. (He was also a football/baseball player. )</p>
<p>Two sons who did not go to proms. No interest. No regrets. They are introverts, don’t like crowds. Not really interested in having girlfriends in HS. We might have made a few jokes about prom their senior years, but don’t care at all if they didn’t want to go.
(S #2 refused to attend graduation–that bothered me a little, but it was last week and I’m over it now.)
D really wanted to go to senior prom. She went with a group of friends and had fun. Some cute pictures, good memories.
H went to two proms junior year. His senior prom was cancelled due to racial conflict at his school. I never went to any formal dance in high school or college and didn’t/don’t care. (What if dances were invented just to make socially awkward people feel even MORE awkward? I’d rather stay home. . .)
S#1 is a HS teacher and has chaperoned and photographed a couple proms. (He doesn’t need a date, doesn’t have to dance, and can hide behind his camera. That’s HIS kind of prom!) This year he was asked (secretly, by the principal) to break the tie in the vote for “prom queen.” Of course he felt really bad for the girl he didn’t pick. . .</p>
<p>Prom here is very reasonably priced and not over-the-top–and if $ was preventing anyone from attending, the school would make sure that kid could attend.</p>
<p>S1 went to the prom junior and senior years. He had a steady gf (not the same girl) both years so sort of had to go. </p>
<p>S2 did not go to either of his proms. Did not have a gf and just wasn’t interested. As I recall he went fishing on the night of his senior prom.
S1 told S2 he wouldn’t have gone either if it hadn’t been for the gf’s giving him no choice. </p>
<p>I went to the prom all four years of h.s. The best one was my freshman year. I went with a handsome senior who is now my DH:) The first song we danced to was “Sarah Smile”. Five years we got married.
DH didn’t attend his junior prom. So I was his only prom experience. We broke up when DH left for college and didn’t date for for three years before getting back together. </p>
<p>So I went to the three other proms with guys who were my bf at the time. My soph. year I went with a senior I had been dating for most of the year. He was friends with all my friends so we had a great time.
At last two proms, I was dating a college guy from my town. He had attended a private school so wasn’t really much fun at my public h.s. proms. He acted as if it were all beneath him and couldn’t wait to leave…ugh. Glad I didn’t marry him!</p>
<p>We have no prom queen - there is a homecoming queen, but not the same big deal - they drive around the track at the game, but are not in dresses or tiaras or anything - last year it seems she was in marching band uniform.</p>
<p>It is also not something that is announced with everyone lined up waiting so no drama in the moment and no real time “rejection”.</p>
<p>It was a pretty big deal in my HS days and I had a steady GF so we went and had very nice times at both. I would say most people came with a gf or bf and not some random person. No singles or groups back then. For many non wealthy small town kids it was a way to learn about properly dressing up and trying on adult roles. I got my first real barbershop shave the day of. Felt great and very adult. We still have the official pictures and my now wife wants to get them restored as 45 years have taken their toll on them. It means what you think it means. For us it meant a lot at the time.</p>
<p>About the only dance I ever went to at my HS was prom. I had a good time and I’m glad I went. I don’t think it really impacted my life in any big way, however.</p>
<p>I think you might have had a good time had you gone; perhaps not. In any event, it seems a moot point. You didn’t go. You seem fine with that. No point in having regrets over something you couldn’t change anyway.</p>
<p>Your mom will get over this.</p>
<p>Both Ds went to their proms and had a lot of fun. In both cases, they went with a male “friend.” D2 says it was the most fun dance of all the HS dances she attended, which were many. She said it was just “more relaxed.” Certainly not “miserable” as a former post proclaimed.</p>
<p>Marian wrote in #33 that: “The only significance of prom is that those who went get the opportunity, many years later, to share their memories of what a miserable experience it was.”</p>
<p>Okay, I chuckled and perhaps even snorted.</p>
<p>My older kid who had been “eye-ing” this cute sassy blonde for half the year finally asked her out to the prom. Then he came to me with all these questions about “expectations.” I told him to chill and just pretend he was a cardboard cutout because prom is for girls, and not to mess up his date’s lifelong memory of prom.</p>
<p>It turns out they don’t have much in common, and are more like cats and dogs, but at least they hang out with each other more and enjoy each other’s company outside of class. A stalemate or an impasse of sorts, because they want to like each other but they just can’t seem to find a way. </p>
<p>Hmm. Sounds like it could be the theme of a country music song.</p>
<p>Now that senior year is over for D, I would say prom is more exciting for the Juniors. While D had a good time this year, she and most of her friends seemed way more excited about it last year. This year it was at the end of AP testing week and kind of a oh its Prom moment for most of them.</p>
<p>I went to prom both junior and senior year. My junior year was OK overall. Senior year, I went with an aquantaince just to have a warm body in a tux next to me, and it was lousy, although our afterprom at a local bowling alley was fun.
Back when I was in HS (late 70’s) you went to prom with a date or you didn’t go at all. Now, at least in our area, it’s OK for a bunch of girls to go together, or even for guys to go “stag”, which I think is much better - nobody has to miss out just because he or she doesn’t have a date for whatever reason.</p>
)</p>
I’d rather stay home. . .)