8th grade prom

So recently my 14-year-old son was getting ready for his 8^th grade prom. Wow! Seems like yesterday he was just learning how to ride his bike and now he’s getting ready for high school!

Incredible and scary all at the same time. I can’t believe I’m actually going to be the mother of a child in high school! Ok, phew! Now that I got that off my chest, I’d like to begin with the whole prom thing nowadays. Seems like the whole essence of prom has been lost in a material world.

Allow me to explain. Last weekend I took my son Jaedan to our local outlet mall to purchase an outfit for his 8^th grade prom. Jaedan chose a nice navy blue button down shirt, black pants and a black tie from Express. He definitely was ready for the big night, or so I thought.

As the weeks drew closer to prom, Jaedan began approaching me with absurd requests. First, he begged me to let him get his ears pierced. He said he wanted to look “good” for prom. Later he requested a gold watch. Finally, just last night he told me he needed to change his entire outfit to match his date. Has he gone mad??!! In my head, I’m thinking, when did this prom thing become a fashion show event? Why does my handsome son feel the need to pierce his ears to look good for prom or need a flashy watch at the least? More so, who the heck is this girl and why are matching attires a necessity for prom? All these things are racing my mind as I try to remember when I was Jaedans age. I certainly wouldn’t have thought of asking for a piercing for prom or of asking my mom for jewelry. And the thought of a date!!! Yeah right!!!

Then, just when I thought this whole entire prom thing had gotten out of hand, I see a giant poster that Jaedan made to ask his date to prom “officially.” Are you kidding me? I was taken aback because the poster was pretty neat and I’m thinking, if only he would put this much effort into his actual school work…

Middle school Prom shouldn’t be about fancy clothes or flashy watches. It should be about celebrating friendships made throughout the year. Reflecting on the memories shared. It most certainly shouldn’t be about giant posters and silly matching clothes. I hope my son Jaedan figures this one out soon.