How To Organize The Perfect Prom Night

Your little boy or girl is all grown up and off to prom. And yes, they will hate you calling them your little boy or girl, but you do not have many more opportunities to do it so make the most of it while you can! Another thing you can do is make sure they have the best prom night ever! 

How To Organize The Perfect Prom Night
[ image: unspalsh by amy kate ]

Support Their Choice of Date

Instead of enforcing your own likes and dislikes, or – worse – mentioning their crush from third grade, with whom they totally do not have anything in common any more, allow your child to tell you who they will be taking as a date. This could be their best friend, someone you have never heard of, or the geeky exchange student who otherwise will not have a date at all. 

Their date for prom is their choice, one of the first semi-grown-up decisions that your child gets to make: let them do it! And if they have chosen to be the date of the geeky foreign exchange student, you should be very proud of their kindness and inclusivity to someone who is probably terribly homesick, struggling with the language barrier, and still trying to get to grips with the culture of their new (albeit temporary) country! 

Allow a Realistic Prom Dress Budget

You do not have to mortgage the house to make sure your daughter gets the designer gown she has her heart set on, nor do you have to pay thousands for shoes that look, feel, and smell exactly like trainers for your son – but do be reasonable. Prom comes at a time in our children's lives when they are still learning about the person they are going to grow up to be, and losing their confidence at this stage can have an impact for years, even decades afterwards. 

Talk it over with your child, and agree to a reasonable budget – one you can afford and that they are happy with, then let them go shopping with their friends, if they want to. Some children will be more than happy to have mom along to tackle the scary salespeople and do all the talking, while others crave independence and will be out of the door the moment you say 'Go'! 

Yes, Mom, There Will be An After Party!

While proms are usually reasonably well-chaperoned by teachers and volunteer parents, the after parties are where the real fun happens. Instead of a blanket shutdown on these activities, have an open discussion with your children about how to handle it when they are offered alcohol or drugs, and what to do if their peers start pressuring them into trying these substances. 

Not many teenagers feel comfortable being the one to say 'No', but if your child understands what saying yes might do to their future, and even their lives, they will find it easier to do so. Also, make an agreement with your child that if they phone or text you, asking to be picked up and using a pre-arranged code word, that you will stop what you are doing and go and fetch them. But most after parties are much milder – and more fun! – than this nightmare scenario! Hanging out at the local all-night burger bar, flirting and chatting until dawn is one of life's best milestones. 

Be the After Party

Surprise your child and their friends with a party bus to take them to prom and bring them home afterwards. Party bus rentals are surprisingly reasonable considering all the amenities they offer, and your child will be the hero of prom if they are the one who provides the luxury-look bus, kitted out like a nightclub, complete with dance floor and music, and even non-alcoholic mock-tails for a touch of youthful sophistication.