Prom

Having our very own all-American prom queen in the house is interesting from the British mum's point of view. I've heard that proms are now becoming popular in the UK but they were something I'd only ever seen in American movies until I came here 16 years ago. The whole prom business is a new experience for both mother and daughter. I've never been been to one and neither has she.

My beautiful size 2 daughter is blessed with a figure and a popularity which I could not even have dreamed of at her age. She's a high school freshman and she's been invited to the Junior prom, so we were thrown into to this comparatively early by age, but rather late in the day for dress shopping. I never realised what a business it was. For a start, who'd have thought we'd be frequenting bridal shops to try on dresses? I, who have never purchased any single garment for more than $50 for myself, find myself watching my 15-year old try on $350 dresses and actually considering buying them! Behind all the practical thinking and my dismay at the costs involved, there is a starry-eyed me who sighs and says 'Wow! I can't believe my child is doing this'. It's all so glamorous and since my own day of glamour was confined to my wedding day, it's hard to realise that we might be doing this again next year.

We have looked at many many prom dresses and the one she's in love with was the first one she tried on. It's completely gorgeous, very impractical and far too much money. Unless she's going to stand around looking statuesque in a Nicole Kidman sort of way and dance elegant waltzes, the dress is going to suffer. Even if the dress survives the prom and the high heels remain painfully on the feet, what happens at the after-prom party? That's the part I really don't understand. It's being held at a local sports centre. There's nowhere to sit comfortably with a drink and certainly it isn't a place for a bedazzling sequinned gown - there are just indoor soccer fields. What are they going to do? Are they going to run around playing soccer in their finery? Apparently they're going to be there until 5am and I suspect she will have had enough before that.

We still haven't found the right dress and unfortunately most of the remaining size 2 dresses are not to her taste. The Dream Dress has already been purchased by a girl at the same high school and the store will only sell two identical dresses to girls from one school - the idea being one for each prom (Junior and Senior). Unfortunately they could not tell us which prom the other girl was going to, so either they or we take a chance on showing up and finding a twin, or we look for something else. Personally it wouldn't bother me at all to find myself wearing the same outfit as someone else - I would find it amusing and would probably go and make a joke aobut it with the other woman. But I think that's just the British way, because apparently here it's considered something of a social faux pas. So we continue shopping.

I'm proud and excited to have a gorgeous all-American daughter going to her first prom with her boyfriend. I want to run around making a fuss and taking photos but actually I probably won't say very much at all because that's also the British way. It's glamorous and exotic though.... like having a real American mailbox on a stick.

Post Script
After another afternoon of dress hunting, we returned to the first shop and even after trying a couple more styles, we ended up buying the Dream Dress and sharing the cost between us because we learned that the other girl is a senior and is therefore (probably) going to the senior prom. The dress is every bit as exotic as we remembered and we have one very happy daughter. :)