We were both on the swim team. He was a cute senior, and I was an insecure, shy freshman. When he asked me to go to the prom, I was surprised, like, looking-around-me surprised, as if he were talking to someone else.
When the confusion faded, the feeling changed; I was thrilled. Few freshman girls got asked. However, I knew that my answer would be no. I had a year and a half to go before I was allowed to date, and there was no way that my dad would let me go. I tried to persuade him, even promising to do extra chores for a month, but the answer was no.
I sat home alone that evening while more than half the students at my high school enjoyed that magical night. Eventually, I got over my frustration with my father, but I still wondered for a long time what it would have been like to be one of the only freshman at the prom.
That special night that I had to to stay home gave me perspective for others who have to do the same.
Do you have a daughter who feels left out or who is sitting at home alone on prom night? Here are some thoughts:
1) Let your daughter take control of whether she wants to talk about it. As parents, we often want to fix and talk about bothersome issues, but this might be a topic she doesn’t want to discuss.
2) Are any of your daughter’s friends not attending prom? Be her chauffeur for the evening and suggest that they dress up, dine at a nice restaurant and select a few fun after-dinner activities. Make it an evening she will remember with her friends.
3) Let your daughter have an all night sleepover party with her friends. Suggest a movie marathon or midnight bowling.
4) If your daughter’s friends are all attending prom and she is home alone, let her make her own decision on how she’d like to spend the evening. If you try too hard to cheer her up, she might feel like you are putting salt on her wound.
Prom night doesn’t have to be the highlight of your daughter’s high school career. Give her time to realize that she has so much more to look forward to in her future.
