Chaperoned the prom last night. Most people go to one or two proms in a life time, possibly a couple of sorority formals or maybe a cotillion or two. That's it. High school teachers, though, we attend a lot of proms!
Life may come and go, swine flu attack and then ebb (looks like the aporkalypse isn't gonna fell us after all and we'll have to just stick to a slower demise by the dying economy until the next craziness leaps up and pokes us in our collective assi), but the prom - it stays pretty much the same as you might remember it if you're beyond prom age. Fabulous dresses and tuxes and make up and limos for some. Dinners out and ice sculptures and a buffet that is mostly consumed by the chaperones. ( loved the mini cheesecakes and the mini empanadas; less fond of the meatballs; didn't try the carved steamship round of roast beef) Lots of picture taking and dancing; even the requisite crowning of the prom king and queen. Tons of angst and emotion and yes, the usual amount of expectation about after parties and what may or may not occur on this night of nights. It's heart-achingly sweet to watch. Everything on the cusp for them - they're about to leave the nest and it shows in every single way even when they think it doesn't. (Yes, some kids are always hyper-sophisticated and this is really small potatoes for them. Some don't want to go; it's not their thing. But most - even if they won't admit it - really like this party in their honor, even if they only stay for the photo op and go on to the after party before the real event has barely begun. It still is a demarkation of sorts. Even if it's like the menu item you never order. You know it's there.)
I barely remember my own prom. Went with my high school boyfriend at the time - the same one I unceremoniously broke up with the following new year's eve because it was time to move on. I seem to remember that we had a live band not a DJ. We didn't stay long. We were more interested in going out afterward to dinner and to Second City. Different place. Different times. We drove downtown with the other people in our group, riding in my date's father's Buick. I like to joke that I didn't ride in a limo until my father's funeral, and honestly, it's true. But i still have the little souvenier booklet they gave out. And the pictures of me in my long floral dress and him in his tux. I was not a big school event girl back then. Honestly, I mostly despised high school and could hardly wait to leave. But even with that, I'm glad I went.
Son of mine had a much more high brow prom. Party bus and photo ops and a prom group with parental organization that topped D Day's. Very fancy restaurant meal and a girl in his class had actually won a contest from Seventeen Magazine and so Nick Lachay (as in Nick and Jessica, a big deal back in 2004) actually came and sang at their prom! Crazy, eh?
So since I'm feeling all promish and sentimental today, please, please, comment and tell me your own prom memories. Good, bad, ugly... I'm in the mood.
Til next time...
My friends and I were banned from going to senior prom as a consequence for some um...underage shenanigans.
ReplyDeleteBut we all went out that night anyway––my friends and our would-be prom dates. We went to the 71 Club - an amazing restaurant on the top floor of the Executive House Hotel in downtown Chicago. They had a three-piece jazz band so we slow danced as we looked out over the city. It was the best punishment ever--even though we had to go to school the next morning and scrape gum off the underside of the cafeteria tables. Good times!
Shenanigans, eh? Hmmm! But your alternate "prom" sounds absolutely soo much better! Great story, Kym!
ReplyDeleteLet's see... 3 days before prom, long-time boyfriend broke up with me and said he wasn't taking me to the prom. Cried and fretted until I decided to ask my best friend's boyfriend's best friend. The ex-boyfriend did call a day or two after the break up and say he'd take me to the prom, but I declined. So it was 4 best friends and we had a blast. One of the best things that happened in high school. Couldn't have had more fun!
ReplyDeleteMe and 5 other girls (none of whom were invited to the prom) had a sleepover. We had a blast! Ate, watched TV, gossiped all night long.
ReplyDeleteKeep the stories coming! These are all great. Honestly, my best time at the few dances I did attend was always when I went with friends, or a guy who was a friend. No stress. No expectations. No requisite fight in the middle of the evening just so there can be some drama. And all right Jamie, I don't remember! Who were you going out with then?
ReplyDeletePlease don't make me say it out loud. My grandmother consistently referred to hime as "double ugly." Ask my mom, she'll vouch for that. It was Phillip...the big football player who was a year older than me. Not my finest life decision ever. ;)
ReplyDeleteAh, Jamie , what is life without some really crappy life decisions? In fact Dreaming Anastasia is in some part about the oops what the heck was I thinking moments, only since it's fantasy, they are writ on rather large, life threatening scale. As in imagine you trusted someone completely only to discover... (nope, not gonna spoil it for you) And if it helps, I have no memory of the football player, so isn't that good?
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, crappy life decisions. We've all got some. Very good that you don't remember. Now if only I didn't have any memory of the football player! ;) Can't wait to get the book!
ReplyDeleteMy prom turned out to be quite nice. Mom made me a fantastic dress with this huge bow on the back that I loved.
ReplyDeleteLike Jamie D, my date and I broke up in a huge screaming match two days before the big event. But my friend agreed to escort me at the last minute, drove across town to rent a tux and had his little red pickup detailed for the occasion. We had a blast.
~Beth