Why do we have School Proms?

[Admiral of the Humber]

When I was at school we had the odd disco in the schoool hall but nowadays we have the School Prom.

Now I like a good night out and am by no means a party pooper but if you are reading this and do not have a daughter in year 11 at school, think yourself lucky.

Car, dress, accessories, shoes, spray tan, hair and photographer....and all before we have to put her through university and pay for her wedding.

Thank heavens we only had the one.

[Mo2013]

It's another of those things we have imported from America.

[JohnTheDog]

Invented by firms with pink limos..

[david63]

You think that you have problems.

Our granddaughter was going to her school prom and "needed" a dress so who do you think said that they would buy it? Got it in one - Granny.

So armed with precise instructions as to what it had to be like - basically the same as her friend's but totally different! - off we go around all the shops we could find, eventually finding one.

Easy part over we now had to get it to her - wait for it ...



... in New Zealand

[Admiral of the Humber]

No pink limo for Miss AOTH.

Miss AOTH and her friends will be travelling in a beautiful 1951 Humber Pullman Limousine.

It is half the cost and ten times more elegant than a Hummer.

Regards
Rob aka AOTH

[Debbie W]

Thankfully we also only have the one and she's only in Year 8 at the moment! DD's school take the kids to the Prom venue on coaches and they're not allowed to rock up in limos etc.

However, I don't expect it to cost any less (more to spend on the dress, shoes etc. ) but I know when her time comes we won't begrudge spending a penny of it ensuring she has a fab time with her friends after working so hard for exams etc.

[Meg 50]

at least your DDs can use the dresses on cruises....

[Meg 50]

I'm rather relieved that my 2 only had them at the end of the 6th form

[Debbie W]

I think DD's school do something at the end of 6th form too but not the full on Prom that they have in Y11. There's no automatic right to progress to the school's 6th form, the kids have to apply and be interviewed!

[GillD46]

Thankfully the school ours went to, refused to allow Proms, not that any of our three. would have dressed for such an event anyway.

I'm really not sure how I feel about them to be honest.

[trixie]

Had Daughters School Prom last year ..... dress , exceedingly high heeled shoes , spray tan , hair, nails + gorgeous Aston Martin to arrive in ( luckily organised by her boyfriend)
It was stressful ! Thank goodness I only have one daughter
Guess what arrived in the post this morning - Her provisional driving license - so now the real expense begins!

[Suekersh]

Guess we were lucky to have 2 boys.

Our niece and friends went to their prom on an old fire engine. They all looked fantastic but hate to think what it cost.

We have two granddaughters and certainly not in any hurry to see their proms but would like to be around to see them.

[Admiral of the Humber]

Dear Forumeers,

I think Miss AOTH must have more of my genes in her than her mothers.

We started the grand Prom Dress search this afternoon in Ticton, near Beverley, in a shop which reminded me a bit of "Big Fat Gypsy Wedding". The shop was full of stressed, hormonal sixteen year old girls with stressed mothers and worried looking fathers. I feared the worst but was pleasantly suprised. The first dress on, a pink number, looked pretty good to me but was discounted as it was not very flattering in the chest department. I tried to help here by offering a male perspective and pointing out that approximately 50% of Miss AOTH's school year would be oggling her bum. My advice was ignored. The Second dress on, by somebody called Sherri Hill (Jeez Dad! You've never heard of Sherri Hill?!) was a pale turquoise number covered in gems and sequins and was stunning. She'll not top that I thought..but keeping my counsel to myself...but the smile on Miss AOTH's face told me that she thought the same. Job done in under an hour.

Just the shoes and the bag now!

I'm actually starting to look forward to the Prom, and also to Captains Night on R311 when I shall have two lovely ladies on my arm.

Regards
Rob aka AOTH

[Debbie W]

Sounds lovely AOTH. I'm sure Miss AOTH will be the belle of the ball

[AngieT]

It doesn't stop with the school prom.....if they go to university there are often 'end of year' balls each year! My niece went to York University for 4 years & their balls were always at the Knavesmire Racecourse. She had to have a new dress each year (cos her 5 wealthy flatmates never wore the same dress twice) - so dads beware

[Dark Knight]

The young lady is you only daughter
get your hand in your pocket and stop moaning

jeez you are starting to sound liker a monty python sketch

[Admiral of the Humber]

Dear Darknightie,

She looked stunning and she made me very proud and I actually had a lovely afternoon with my ladies so it was worth every penny..........all of them!

Shoes and bag to find next....we will be will widening the search area for them in a couple of weeks!

Off to make myself look gorgeous now as a gang of us are off out for dinner.

Ciao.

[Dark Knight]

by the time you reached gorgeous, the world would have run out of alcohol and food

but try polyfilla or a balaclava
may help

[Southwinds]

The youngsters see it on television and we have to follow everything American, not sure why I think the Northern Europeans have better lifestyle we might want to copy..



We had a school disco ! That was sufficient.

[Silver_Shiney]

We had to buy an evening dress for Welshy (thankfully her older sister wasn't in the least interested in their school prom) and decided to get this while we had a weekend away in London. The Lady C saw a stunning two-piece in M&S that looked like a one-piece, but could get both bits in the right sizes. It was decided that, as there were two branches in Oxford Street, she get the one bit in that particular shop, park me in a cafe and go to the other branch to get the other bit.

Later on, we went to a restaurant for dinner and she decided to look again at the garments. She examined the second bag and asked me for the first bag.

I'd only left it in the cafe..... Of course, it had disappeared.

We stopped at every M&S on the way home to see if they had one. No chance. I went into the branch at Cribbs Causeway and a young lady there went onto the stock computer and discovered that the line was discontinued but there was one, in that size, in a branch way up north. If was delivered the next day and the hitman, arsenic order and divorce proceedings were cancelled.....

Thankfully that was our only expense for the prom (that, and a bos of choccies for the shop assistant who saved the day)

[jay-ell71]

Pheeew SS. I bet the blood pressure was sky high for a bit.

[Silver_Shiney]

let's just say our nice romantic evening didn't happen and my name was mud for a while.......

[Silver_Shiney]

Just read back what I'd said earlier and am rather embarrassed by the smelling pistakes

[Holiday Planner]

Our daughter has had 3!!! One at the end of year 6, and then in year 11 and 13. Fortunately she is as pragmatic as I am. When in year 6 she wore a dress she'd already got (but was lucky enough to travel in a friend's uncles Rolls Royce); for her later 2, she did have new dresses, but was happy with Debenham's Prom dresses, which didn't break the bank and one doubled up as an outfit for her cousin's wedding, as well as both doing very nicely for formal nights on cruises. She didn't see any point in paying out for an expensive car either, as we live 15 miles from Wolverhampton, where she went to school. In year 11 she had hair and nails done, but for year 13 was confident enough to do nails herself. She looked beautiful and had a great time without any costing a fortune.

[The Monocled Mutineer]

Much as I welcome children at the cusp of adulthood to dress up smartly in DJs, bow ties, ball gowns and tiaras, I always thought it was the unwritten "duty" of children to rebel against convention.

Ah ... but maybe they are, given some of the poor standards of dress many parents give where it is considered quite normal to dine in jeans, t-shirts, etc in smart environments like many fine dining establishments and cruise ships.