in which Middle is going to a prom

He is!
But, I have to tell you, I am far more excited than he is.
His girl, S, goes to school in the next town and though she is the same age as Middle, she is a senior. She probably adjusted to nursery school better than Middle did. Middle should be a senior but he cried too much.
Middle's girl doesn't have a dress yet but that's not my problem. My problem is: the prom is next week (WTF? isn't it supposed to be in June or something?) and on the same day as:
1. Middle's last day of pre-college classes at the fancy art school in town.
2. Middle's well prepared music solo for the Tuvaluan Department of Music.
And S's mom is coming to pick Middle up at about 5, to take them to the school to get on a bus for the prom.
The logistics for all of this are going to be stunning.

AND we have to figure out what in the WORLD Middle is going to wear.
In MY day boys wore rented tuxedos to the prom.
Middle has nixed that.
Originally he told me he could just wear pants and a dress shirt and his father, my husband, gave him that OVER MY DEAD BODY kind of look. And, although Middle tends to be a subtle kind of fellow he does seem to be taking this opportunity to rebel. Just a touch.
The good thing about a tuxedo is that you get to give it back. He may only wear a purchased suit a couple of times. He's taking all the fun out of it too. He's not interested in anything vintage or funky and believe me, he looks like the kind of guy who would be so cute in a vintage suit or a quirky pair of pants. He's thinking he wants a plain black suit and of maybe getting his hair cut like Badger's.
The only slightly off-beat thing he has agreed to is black on black All Stars.

I'm feeling very frustrated and haven't even been able to crack the whole do-they-do-corsages thing. Do they? Will his goth-ish girlfriend want black roses? She has a soft spot for Tinkerbell - should he bring her teeny green roses (you know the ones I'm talking about).

Finally, S's mother is picking him up. S has been Middle's girlfriend for a year and a half and I have never even spoken to her mother on the phone. Isn't that terrible of me? It's just never happened. In my defense I should mention that they only speak to each other on their cell phones. And, to be fair to S's mother, I will tell you that S is the youngest of four daughters. I would assume that her mom has had enough of meeting parents of boyfriends.

They are both unconventional and artistic and quiet and that has got me stumped. I don't know whether to steer them toward classic prom traditions or just let them be and I want him to be respectful and formal as he is attending her prom.
I do know one thing - there is no way they are escaping without posing for pictures.

Comments

Speaking of top hats and tails, that's what MY husband wore to our prom! Yeah, it was the 70's!

Cape Cod Kid never went. I didn't realize mother-of-the-boy had that much stress. Sorority Girl said "NO Princess Dresses!!!" and wore a couple of stunning cocktail gowns. And no corsages.

There are no formal pics, she went with big groups. We have MANY fun,cute, informal pics with many of her guy friends.

You should follow her lead, ask to see her dress, when she gets it. I would have also said funky,vintage for him.
One of SG's classmates wore his Tartans, kilt and all!
Anonymous said…
Well, I think it's a lot different than when WE went to prom, but in our neck of the woods they still give corsages. And yes, even though things are different, my daughter is also still going to be posing for pictures! Absolutely.
Miz S said…
I LOVE prom night! I never had a prom because I went to a hippie alternative pot-smoking kinda high school. We didn't need no stinkin' prom.

But I loved my girls' proms and there were always corsages and beautiful dresses and LOTS of pictures.

I hope it warms up. The girls always look cold in their filmy dresses.
MizMell said…
Yes, lots of pictures.
Wendy said…
A tinkerbell inspired corsage for her is the sweetest thing I've heard today.
Anonymous said…
We don't have prom here...
But I can just picture Middle. He's going to rock whatever he wears (sorry K!) and I agree you should play by their rules, because they are so cool. And maybe it's time to have a chat with her mom, she's definitely goign to have soemthing to say. 4 girls. Oh dear!
Anonymous said…
Oh, proms are the sweetest. cutest things! (Except for the post-prom drinking, etc., that sometimes gets out of hand. But I digress.) I am taking the liberty of emailing you on the side -- a couple pictures of #2 son duded up for his prom last year. That's a vintage suit he is wearing, one my husband had made in Hong Kong 25 years ago when he was there with the navy. (Maybe it will inspire Middle?)
Joke said…
I rebelled at prom time. Instead of renting a tuxedo as my dad suggested, I DEMANDED to buy one.

And then I had to go into Obnoxious Research Mode. I sneered and looked jaded as only a (then) 17 y.o. could.

I eventually handed it down to my dad.

-J.
Badger said…
Oh! I am as excited as you are about this! And I would love to get on a plane RIGHT NOW so that you, Middle and I could go shopping for an outfit.

I am thinking ... the black-on-black Chucks, yes, with dark skinny jeans (with NO holes/rips/tears -- PRISTINE). A ruffly tuxedo shirt (he will balk, but the ruffles are CRITICAL) and a vintage velvet tuxedo jacket in a dark color (not necessarily black).

For the corsage, orchids. Really teeny ones, though.

My hair is very small and pixie-ish and Roman centurion looking right now, so he may not want to go that route.
jordi said…
Please Please Pictures, I am living vicariously. Mine wore tails and tucked his pants into Army jump boots that were spitshined to within an inch of their lives. I should have known then what I was up against...
Anonymous said…
Corsages are mandatory here in VA, but only the wristband style are acceptable. Tea roses are always a hit.

Good luck! I've got two going this year. You'd think the girl would be harder but...no.
robiewankenobie said…
next time she is over, subtly bring up the prom thing, and see where they take it. then you can form your nefarious style plans.
Jess said…
I like Badger's idea...
KPB said…
I'm with Badger.

Although only Badger could manage to reflect a pixie and a Roman Centurion at the same time.

Otherwise?
I COULD KILL YOU WITH A TRAY



Yup. Got nothin'.
Jan said…
As the mother of a girl whose date showed up for the prom in very wrinkled khaki pants, thank you for at least being somewhat concerned about appropriateness. (Is that a word?)
I'm all for funky and offbeat (didn't even mind the madras jacket!) but after the time and expense we put into her preparation, I still cringe when I look at the photos.
Since she pops by to read your blog, I must add (truthfully) that he was a great kid and I know she didn't care and they had a great time. (But where was his mother?)
barbra said…
Ooh, I like Badger's idea too!
Anonymous said…
Here in Texas we have what's known as the TEXAS TUX...Cowboy boots, pristine jeans (dark indigo), cumberbund , (we have a few but his fav is the Texas Flag) with matching bowtie ... The rest is a regular tux shirt and jacket. I think the look is sharp.
HEATHER said…
http://disneyshopping.go.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/DSIProductDisplay?catalogId=10002&storeId=10051&productId=1202717&langId=-1&categoryId=15577&catalogFromSearch=10007
You could always get her the Tinker Bell Roses. I can't wait to see pictures.
Ginnie said…
Yes, we must have pictures and lots of details!
dennis said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alice said…
How exciting and sweet!
About the corsage thing, I don't know. I found mine a bit cumbersome and annoying. Also, they never went perfectly with the rest of the outfit. What about getting her flowers that she can hold during pictures, put in a vase and look at for about a week?
Velma said…
I like the idea of flowers, but not something that needs to be pinned on - something to save, a token, a gift.

A picture is a necessary evil, but I bet they will agree.
alice c said…
I can't comment on the clothes because the whole prom thing is a complete Tuvalu mystery but the mother thing. I'm telling you - it is scary - I went into a panic that lasted about 10 days. The positive effect of the purge on the house lasted until Christmas.
Anonymous said…
As the mother of girls, I gotta say that the whole prom thing is a big deal, no matter what they say. Especially because the girlfriend is a senior. The corsage, of some sort, is de rigeur. Your boy needs to look cool but not embarrassing - this is hard but not impossible to pull off. Good luck. And take the pictures, again, no matter what they say, because the formal one taken at the prom is almost always sucky.
Unknown said…
that is so funny...i mean the generational gap here. it seems so reverse order. i think you should not get emotionally vested in M's girlfriends or their families at his age. your heart will be broken (mine was anyway...twice).
Julie said…
My all girls private... read that as catholic... (I am still recovering) high school always had our proms (junior and senior yrs) in May.

So maybe it's a new trend.

I think you should definitely get her the little green flowers, that would be great!

Also- Was it you that showed me the duct tape prom dresses? Maybe they should do that?

Popular Posts