<p>This opinion piece in the WaPo is just silly, IMHO. It is common in our area for kids without dates to go to prom in groups, or with just one other friend of the same gender if they aren’t part of a “crowd”. This just seems to me like something that could have been written in 1965… not 2013. My older D went to prom with friends (did not have a HS boyfriend, for which I am actually grateful). D2 is gay, and I would not have blinked if she had gone with a girl as a date; but she is not the “prom” type and chose to skip altogether.</p>
<p>[My</a> daughter took a girl to prom. Why did I let it bother me? - The Washington Post](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/my-daughter-took-a-girl-to-prom-why-did-i-have-a-problem-with-that/2013/05/31/4323483c-c8a4-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_story.html?hpid=z1]My”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/my-daughter-took-a-girl-to-prom-why-did-i-have-a-problem-with-that/2013/05/31/4323483c-c8a4-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_story.html?hpid=z1)</p>
<p>Sure, it’s not a matter of Earth shaking importance. That said, it is an interesting piece of self reflection. I think that the author agrees with you that her daughter’s choice should not have been a big deal to her. She’s simply copping to the fact that no matter what her head tells her, there’s something in her heart that craves the ritual events that she has been conditioned to expect.</p>
<p>Just seems to me that she is “letting” it bother her. Making a problem where there actually is none… It just seems like such a waste of her time (and of column and screen space for the WaPo – this is at the top of the online feed today after being down lower yesterday).</p>
<p>I thought this article was going to be about using prom as an opportunity to come out as a lesbian.</p>
<p>Oops.</p>
<p>Yes, and I think the WaPo is using a headline that implies that to get a lot of clicks. I presume many people think it is pretty dumb once they get into the article. Kind of a bait and switch.</p>
<p>I expect that this sort of thing is a common experience for many of us who believe that we have moved beyond traditional expectations about gender and other roles. That disconnect probably resonates for a lot of folks, if not about the prom, about other expected life events and rites of passage.</p>
<p>Who is qualified to say what should and shouldn’t bother another person? Something that I wouldn’t think twice about might cause another grief or reflection…something that dances on my last nerve might just roll off another’s back.</p>