A Formal Dance

In case any women out there have forgotten what it was like when they were young -- those formal school dances (proms, balls, whatever you called them!) -- those are every young woman's princess fantasy. Well, at least, the young woman who lives at my house!

Alyssa had Freshman Dance last week, and she and her friends turned the whole thing into quite the event. Alys started with hair, makeup & nails at her friend's house. Oh, by the way, the mom is required for that!

We'd had a practice hairstyle afternoon, so at least we knew what we were doing. The curls did not turn out quite the way we had envisioned, but it worked, and she is very pretty. (Maybe there's some mom bias there, but it's my blog so I can say it!!) The other girls in their group all came for a photo session before leaving for the dance. I was the designated driver -- which was just fine with me -- because our Suburban was big enough for them all, and because I was going to the dance anyway, since I was on the food committee. It was a great excuse to get the Suburban washed and detailed, too!!By the way, Alyssa is flat-footed in this dress, and still taller than every one of her friends, who had shoes of varying height.

Then, they danced the afternoon away (this is Freshman Dance, so it took place at 3:00 in the afternoon!)....

And when the dance was over, they wanted some more photos. After all, if you're going to put that much effort into a look, let's make the most of it! So we went down to a park by the river, where they played some impromptu soccer in their formal dresses.....


And we got some great photo shots as well........

They even went out to dinner together as a group, actually adding one more girl who did not attend the dance, and then they rounded out their evening with some "night games" with other kids.

As the mom, there were a few things that made me proud of my girl that day. First is the modest dress we found in Idaho Falls, and actually purchased in Boise -- during that softball trip. I'm so glad she found something she loved, that was very pretty, and didn't have the look of "I'm trying to cover up so I can be modest".

Second, I'm so glad she and her friends planned an evening together, without anyone feeling any pressure of being on a date with a BOY. Alyssa is not generally one to push limits, and she knows (& agrees with) our stand on waiting to date until age 16. In our town, Freshman Dance is not really considered a "date" dance, and the kids often go stag, or in a group of friends like Alyssa did. Going stag for this dance does not carry the stigma that you and I remember from our high school proms. It is a formal dance, though, and since it's their first formal, most of the kids go all-out for it.

But the thing that made me most proud was when she explained to me that one of the girls, who is kind of on the fringes of their "group" at school, was going to be included with the group's plans for that day. A couple of the girls had thought to avoid including her, but Alyssa stepped up and initiated the moment and decision to make sure this girl was invited to be with the group. We may not know what kind of effect that may have had on this girl, but I know it makes Alyssa & her friends better people by being warm and inviting, rather than cruel and stand-offish.

Good for you, Sys!!