<p>What an experience, runnersmom. I’m glad he made it okay. It sounds like an amazing adventure.</p>
<p>runnersmom–I am impressed with your giving your child wings–what a great trip-and he sounds confident managing—your trust and support to explore is a wonderful gift you gave him.</p>
<p>countingdown–also like how your son navigates buses, trains and planes…my kids love flying and exploring. down in S Florida no real transit so kids drive at 16–son was driving next to a car yesterday that crashed into another and then flipped over on its roof and slid 400 ft. He did great handling – also realized the delicateness of life–</p>
<p>my son’s senior dinner was last night—lets just say it became real…while he was up receiving awards/scholarships for leadership and community service I tried, I really tried to hold the camera to video a snippet, but my crying made my hand move and well much of the video was of my water glass and pretty floral green carpeting in the hotel ballroom. I was crying with gratitude, pride, joy and also with sadness–graduation is Saturday–any tips on reducing swelling around eye area?</p>
<p>Tea bags, moistened that is. They do wonders.</p>
<p>runnersmom - All I can say is WOW!! I’m so glad your S is able to keep in touch with you. What an experience he is having!!</p>
<p>lindz - Awww. I would probably be the same way. Congrats to your S on his awards/scholarships. BTW, I’m glad he was ok after witnessing that accident. That’s so scary.</p>
<p>thanks myth and LI moms</p>
<p>we’re off to Circuit City so he can buy something with some of his scholarship money–</p>
<p>yes was a scary incident–and all three of my kids were in the car–made me truly count my blessings about timing</p>
<p>Lindz-- your son was clearly paying attention in drivers ed. And clearly also can handle a pressure situation. He will do well in life.</p>
<p>runnersomom–your s’s trip is sounding more and more awesome. </p>
<p>My S is officially finished with school today-- exams, everything-- and I wish graduation was this weekend. I think it will be anticlimactic in 3 weeks. Kids will have started jobs, gone traveling, moved along. Kinda ridic but I think they have to wait for the spring sports seasons to wrap up.</p>
<p>r-mom, great to hear from your world traveler, is he speaking Italian?</p>
<p>thanks acme–yes he’s got a good handle on this adult thing…he’s one of those kids who even as a toddler was very careful, responsible…(classic first born) now my other two… :-D</p>
<p>Lindz…how terrifying for him. I’m so glad he and your other kids were uninjured. And I know what you mean about those tears…they just crop up at the most inopportune times, don’t they! But these are wonderful tears as all the pictures of their lives play on a loop before your eyes at the most interesting times. I remember sitting at stop lights and just seeing snippets in my mind. </p>
<p>acme, LIMOM, 2Blue - thanks for the good thoughts re: the boy’s travels. I am a real believer in letting them push the edges of their personal envelopes…I guess I just never thought they’d push so far! These college years are a most wonderful time in their lives; exploring, growing, and learning. My kids have always worked summers, so my H and I have been willing to “give” them each one summer where our expectations revolve more around broadening horizons, travel and experiential learning than a paying job. </p>
<p>Cottonwood - I agree, flying to Midway and taking the 55 is a good indicator of whether a kid is ready to handle urban living! As for Italian, does English with an Italian accent count! He’s only been there 3 days, I’m hoping he picks some up.</p>
<p>and Bunsen - what great advice. I will pass it along to him. So far I think he’s being fed Italian food by the team…he’ll ease into Uzbek cuisine!</p>
<p>What wonderful kids you all have!!! Isn’t it amazing how quickly they grow up! And what wonderful opportunities you all have given to your kids! I raise my glass to you and wish you and your college bound kids only the best!</p>
<p>Well, it is official. D2 is not going to the prom. She seems ok with it but I have to admit it does bother me a bit. When I was scrapping this week a boys mom told me that the boys are intimidated by her…she said they see her as smart, cute,athletic and out of their league. sigh…intimidated??? What the heck! She anchors on the school tv show…I told her she should have done a story on looking for a date…she didn’t appreciate my humor!;)</p>
<p>I’m sorry your D isn’t going to her prom, NMinn. I know it was important to you. I’m glad she seems ok with it, even if you are disappointed. </p>
<p>I believe that it’s probably true about the boys being intimidated by your D. Often, that is the case when you have a girl who seems to have it all together - especially if she is considered “hot.” After listening to what some teenage boys consider hot, I think often “cute” girls are also put in that category.</p>
<p>I think it would have been cute if she had done a story on looking for a prom date (not necessarily for herself, of course - just a general story). It’s actually a good idea.</p>
<p>We’re so lucky in our town in that everyone goes to the prom and they all pitch in and find each other dates, siblings, cousins, distant friends, everyone is drafted.</p>
<p>It’s lovely, actually.</p>
<p>And several go alone. At D’s a group of three girls went together, and one guy just walked up alone.</p>
<p>They’re all announced, ala red carpet, as they get out of their transports, and the girls’ attire is described, and the entire town comes to cheer. It’s really dear.</p>
<p>Neither of my kids had “dates”, just people drafted into going with them. I wish they had gone with someone else of their grade because I ended up having to buy all the prom tickets, LOL, and it was expensive.</p>
<p>I wish all of your kids could be in that situation.</p>
<p>And yes, I am sure they boys are intimidated, but that will pass. It is a shame about the prom. Here girls ask boys. They sometimes have to!</p>
<p>Around here the groups look out for everyone - so band kids make sure all are covered who want to go, chorus, yearbook, etc. Of course it is the girls that do most of the arrangements. Underclass are drafted if part of the group. It really is kind of cute as everyone gets “matched up” for the pictures and then the pairings are ignored for the rest of the evening. If they want, there are singles in the groups too. The groups that go are so large that you can hardly tell if everyone is paired.</p>
<p>I too wish everyone could be in that situation so they could go if they wanted to.</p>
<p>down here kids all go as big group–about 30 kids in a limo/bus?, started at one girls home then on to the prom then all off to post prom party. only handful had true dates–so wasnt’ the norm to be paired off. nminn–your daughter sounds very confident I would be pleased she recognizes that the boys are intimidated…she’ll do great in college and beyond with that positive attitude…</p>
<p>oh runnersmom at the senior dinner they did a photo montage where each student’s baby picture morphed into their senior picture–too cute and talk about tugging at heartstrings–and seeing the past…</p>
<p>when I went to high school in NY hardly any of us went to the prom–we thought we were too cool–refusing to participate was kind of the anti establishment thing to do–mythmom did you go to your prom? others?</p>
<p>It’s lovely to hear about all of these group prom events. At my S’s school they still do dates but some kids only go to the after-party where they can win prizes, sometimes lots of $$, the later they stay. </p>
<p>Our kids’ elementary school does the video montage where the baby pic morphs into their 5th grade yearbook photo. Get the hankies, the waterworks are everywhere. If they did it for high school I’d be a basket case.</p>
<p>Northminnesota, I read a great essay once about a girl who was shunned in high school and how, after becoming this cool tv veejay, went back to her hometown and encountered the prom queen working at the makeup counter of the local department store. The essay was called “popularity peaks.” I’m sure your daughter is sad not to go to the prom but that is one night of her life and she will have many successful and happy years if she has all of those wonderful qualities while some of those other kids who go to prom have just this one night as their “best moment.”
I hope she/you have something great planned for the evening? Someone else to hang out with?</p>
<p>NorthMinnesota said her daughter was okay with it. Can we give the girl some credit and ownership of her own feelings, please, and not assume she sees this as a great tragedy, or even a small unhappiness?! It sounds like she’s okay; she even said so! It’s disrespectful to assume otherwise.</p>
<p>Some girls really are okay with not going to their proms. I think if a girl says she’s okay with not going, it’s a good idea not to second-guess (or try to invalidate) her feelings about it and assume she’s sad about it.</p>
<p>Yeah, I actively didn’t want to go to prom–my Mom said I grew out of Sixteen magazine before I was twelve. However acme is right that it’s kind of fun to be the kid who blossoms in a big way a bit later in life.</p>
<p>NorthMinnesota, I obviously don’t know your daughter and how she feels-- I probably was over-reading the situation. She’s her own person, that’s all I meant to say. Just trying to throw some support your way. But there are a lot of kids posting prom stuff on the HS thread so clearly it presents some big issues.</p>
<p>I ran away from home and never had a senior year! But I wouldn’t have gone. My BF was a year older and then went to see Hair instead of going to the prom. I wasn’t invited because he’d promised a friend who was a girl.</p>
<p>But my kids prom is a very community organized thing. The community puts wood and scaffolding up to create a false themed front for the high school. It takes so many parents working from Dec to June to do all the work. All the kids go and the entire community comes to view the very elaborate themed bash.</p>