If you have kids in high school (or friends with kids in high school), you know it’s prom season. Where I live, prom is still a month away, so right now, we’re in the thick of promposal season — the precursor to prom.
Some people LOVE the promposal idea, others HATE it. I’m low-key a hater.
I’ll admit, a simply, punny promposal can be sweet. Especially if it involves food and is delivered by one half of a couple (in a long-term relationship or even just started dating). These are some of my favorites:
But some of these promposals I see posted on Instagram are out of control. Over-the-top, extravagant, public displays that involve expensive gifts or flash mobs and choreography are just too much and wreak of parental (read: mom) involvement.
That is not my jam.
Why can’t boys just ask the old fashioned way? Face-to-face, in private. That way, if they get rejected, they can save face.
Why are they expected to spend boatloads of money, ask in public, AND be clever and original at the same time? It’s too much unnecessary pressure to put on 17- and 18-year-old boys. Especially if they’re asking someone they’re not even dating. But what do I know? I went to my high school prom in 1990. We didn’t have promposals.
Fast forward to last weekend …
My youngest (a high school senior) promposed to a girl he’s friends with. He went the simply route with a cute-but-kinda-messy punny sign, candy, and flowers, and coordinated the semi-private/public location with his buddy and his girlfriend (who’s her friend).
She said yes.
I was not involved. At all.
In fact, I didn’t even know about the promposal until afterwards, and I’m honestly okay with that. He put himself out there and handled it how he wanted to. I respect that.
I’ll guess I’ll let him figure out the prom flowers/corsage situation, too … He seems to know better than me.
— LJDT
