It's Prom Time Again

Jeffrey Caso

14 years ago

Where did the time go? I am not talking about the year that elapsed between last prom season and this year's prom season, but the bigger picture. How did my little boy who waited for me to come home every night and read him a book before bedtime grow up so fast to be going to his own senior prom? I am so proud of what he has accomplished thus far in his life and look forward to all of the great things that he will continue to do. I wanted him to grow up into a fine, able young man who could identify and follow his dreams. I just didn't want it to happen so fast.

Tonight was a mandatory prom meeting at his school. If your child wants to go to the prom you had better be there. No excuses. The principal covered many topics and then said he was going to deviate from his usual discourse about how you really can have fun without alcohol and showed us a video on texting and driving. Wow, what a tear-jerker that was. He was right; it is a piece that every parent of a driving age child should watch. Better yet watch it with your child.

http://youtu.be/DebhWD6ljZs

I actually got a lot out of the meeting and understand more about where this generation is coming from and some of the unique problems they face. Social media has such a huge impact upon this generation and the end result of this is still playing out. Bullying can be so devastating because of the massive amount of people that hurtful comments can reach so quickly. Holy cow, times are so serious for this generation.

I came home and discussed the lessons I learned with the whole family and we all got a lot out of it. Life is certainly hectic these days but it's imperative to take a break and really understand what's going on in your children's lives. The times they are a changing. Listen, learn and change with them. Understand how changes in technology affect your family and adapt to be the guiding force that your kids look for in you. Boy, this job is not easy.