Prom Night – A Mother’s Thoughts

prom night

My daughter, Princess (not her real name), went to the prom list night. These are the thoughts t hat ran through my mind as I waited up.

  • My daughter is growing into a beautiful young lady
  • I hope she has a good time
  • I hope she is safe
  • Did I set her curfew too early or too late?
  • How in the world am I going to stay awake that long?
  • Who am I kidding?  Sleep won’t happen until I hear the garage open.
  • Say a prayer that she makes it back home safe.  Add a prayer for everyone else’s kid as well.
  • Realize that late night television programming is the worst
  • I should have rented a movie from Redbox
  • What am I going to cook for dinner tomorrow?
  • Did I cover everything in the “Don’t Drink or Do Drugs” speech?
  • What if there is an accident?
  • I don’t need to think about any accidents.

I finally had to call my sister on the West Coast to take my mind off all the things that could happen.  I am an admitted “worrier” but my imagination takes me places I don’t need to go.

In the end, Princess made it back on safely and on time.  No need to worry.  Until next year.

A Night of Firsts – A Parenting Moment

When you become a parent, you find yourself celebrating a lot of firsts.  First tooth, first word, first steps and the first day of school.  We try to prepare our children for the firsts in life.  Maybe we should focus on preparing ourselves as well.

Two major firsts took place in our family this weekend.  Princess had her first date which coincided with her first prom.  Good times!

Lost in the excitement of finding the perfect shoes and getting a mother-daughter mani and pedi was the fact that this was a first for me too.  My baby is careening toward adulthood at an alarming pace.

After all the pictures had been taken on Saturday, I stood there and watched my daughter.  The little chubby cheeked toddler has grown into a beautiful young lady.  I hugged her and told her to have fun.  I released Princess to  her date.  She smiled and waved.  Then she was gone to experience a new adventure.

I was left with conflicting emotions.  A part of me was happy that my daughter reached this milestone even as the mother in me mourned the little girl who only lives on now in memories and old photographs.

Yes, parenting is a moment of firsts.  I’ll continue to help prepare my kids.  And take lots of pictures.

Which parenting “firsts” have you recently gone through?