KEEP CALM AND PROM ON

Most of us would be lying if we said that we were truly dreading prom. For mothers with teenaged daughters, it can feel like a way to return to your teen years and help your daughter experience her night as a princess. As you move towards the big day, try not to worry too much about risks associated with the prom night. There are ways you can keep your teen safe without having to be a helicopter parent. “[Prom is about] teens moving from childhood to adulthood” writes David Sabine. “They get to act like adults: dress up, ride in limos, and go to nice restaurants.” We’ve compiled some ways you can enjoy supporting your teen during her transition to adulthood:

1. DRESS SHOP EARLY

Your teen has an idea of how she’d like to look at prom, and yours might be entirely different. While the puffed sleeves and long lengths of 80s’ and 70s’ prom dresses are long out of style, it comes as a surprise to parents just how much skin many dress styles today show. Don’t get into a battle of wills about whether it’s appropriate to show midriff at the dance. Instead, check school policies about what’s allowed and forbidden. You could find that the school’s rules on what’s permitted align conveniently closely to your own.

2. LEAVE TIME FOR ALTERATIONS

It’s never wise to begin dress shopping the week before prom. The racks are surprisingly picked over, and it’s hard to reconcile having to wear a dress that’s less than ideal when most teens only attend one or two proms in their lives. Start early by collecting ideas via Pinterest, and make appointments in January or February to go dress shopping. Be sure and try on the dress a week or two before prom, because you may find it necessary to schedule time with a tailor. Ladies Home Journal contributor Marisa Bardach writes that she knew a mom who ended up stapling her daughter’s hem the night of the dance when it was too late to get the dress altered!

3. RESERVE LONG ISLAND LIMO SERVICE EARLY

There are few nights of the year busier for local limo companies than prom. Many parents find that limo service is an excellent compromise between their teen’s desires and their own hope for a safe evening. Traffic studies have shown that many proms rival New Year’s and Saint Patrick’s Day for alcohol-related vehicle deaths, and even if you can trust your teen to avoid underaged drinking, they may not have the defensive driving skills to stay safe against reckless drivers. Limo service is glamorous, but it ensures your teen is safe in the hands of a professionally trained defensive driver. Consider it a way to provide safe transportation that’s much more glamorous than picking up or dropping off your teen and her date yourself.

4. SETTING GROUND RULES

While Family Circle reports that teen alcohol use has been on the decline in recent years, it’s still prudent to establish serious ground rules ahead of time about what’s acceptable and what’s not. Sabine recommends having the talk early, even if your teen will be 18 on prom night. As long as she’ll be living under your roof, you’ve got every right to set rules against house or hotel parties. Approach the discussion by establishing a compromise. Offer to provide limo service, salon time, and high-end dinner reservations. Ask your teen to forgo attending unsupervised parties in exchange. Treating your teen with respect and allowing her to have significant choice in her clothing, dinner, and chauffeured transportation reservations can ensure you don’t seem like the bad guy.

Image credit: Keep Calm Studio