My son is going to junior prom on Saturday. I'm thrilled. He was the type of kid who, once he got to high school, stopped going to dances. He loved them in middle school so this bummed me out. All of a sudden he had no interest and I worried that he was losing his enthusiasm for school events. He went to Homecoming this year and now is attending prom so maybe he just needed to find his groove.
I asked and asked if he was going. For months I got the same response, "I don't know." About two weeks ago he told me he had found a date and was going. Of course, the next logical question was when prom was being held. Again, "I don't know."
By the time he told us the date, I was not a happy camper. There was a little matter of a tuxedo and a corsage, etc. I don't remember my prom (and NO I was not drunk). I have very few memories of my life. I have no idea why that is. I remember who I went with. I remember what I wore but I have NO solid memory of the event. I don't have any memory of the venue or if I danced or had fun. I'm sure I did. I went with a friend from work and he was a nice guy so I'm sure I enjoyed myself. I just can't tell you one specific thing about the night.
I do, however, remember it was a big deal getting ready for it. There was a gown to buy and hair and make up and nails. It wasn't like today where the girls spend a fortune going all over and having services but it was a bit of work, nonetheless. When I expressed all of this to my son, in his typical fashion, he told me not to get stressed. So easy to say.
He is an odd size. He is still growing and very inbetween. I knew that he was not going to walk into a tux rental shop and pull one off of the rack and be done. Sure enough, I was right. His tux was coming in Friday (day before prom). If there were any problems, well, the store would have to deal with it. Luckily the tux came in early. We called last night because now there is a baseball scrimmage on Friday. They tend to end late and I wasn't sure there would be time to get to the store and deal with any problems. Saturday is long practice (not to mention the day of prom) so that wasn't an option.
He just doesn't think of these things. I think it's because I make his life too easy. If it needs to happen, it does. He has no idea how hard some things are because he is just the recipient of the effort. He rarely has to put any in. I like the fact that he is so chill. It certainly makes raising him easy. He is not impulsive, he does not get emotional, he doesn't have a temper at all. These are all lovely qualities with a boy because there has never been an issue with a friend or teacher or anybody. He is easy going and therefore just rolls through life.
However, can he be too laid back? Is he just apathetic now? If mommy isn't running behind him in life will he ever get anything done? He's a responsible boy. He has never missed a homework assignment or turned in anything late. He knows what he has to do with school and activities and gets it done. I never even have to ask. He has a 97.25 overall GPA at school and I have ZERO to do with that. He must have some spark, right?
I imagine all moms worry about some characteristic of their children. We know them so well. We are programmed to stress about their well-being. I always try to embrace their positive attributes and focus on that but this time he threw me for a loop. It has been a whirl wind week with games and prom but I guess that's what being a parent is all about. You can have a loose plan in place but expect changes in it because one thing I have learned about living with kids, it is anything but predictable.
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