Letting Your Child Go to the Prom

Many parents do not even think twice before saying that it is OK for their child to go to the prom. But with so many horrible things happening after the proms and sometimes even at the proms parents are really starting to think twice. This is usually the first night that many teenagers get to stay out and party all night long. It is a party that the kids begin talking about at the beginning of the senior school year.

Considered to be a once in a lifetime event many feel that if you miss the prom you will regret it for the rest of your life. This is not to say that everyone plans to go out and engage in some type of horrible behavior. Their is however a lot more that parents will want to take into consideration before you allow your child to go to the prom. If you truly love and care about your child you will take the time to think about some of the points mentioned in this article.

Even though they may be well organized and supervised, there are still many things that can happen even after the party is over. Most of the time after the prom is over they will go out and party often drinking and engaging in sexual activity of some sort. There is also the possibility of your teenager being caught in an uncompromising situation. Even if they do not want it they can become the main target of unwanted attention.

So there may be nothing wrong with the party itself, but you can not predict what may happen before, during or after the party. The majority of the times the problems arrive after the party. Some tend to go to a hotel or over to someones house. The next morning many are left not even knowing what happened the night before. There have even been some circumstances when teenage girls find out months later that they are pregnant and have no idea who the father is because they can not remember what happened that night.

It can however, be a fun and safe night for your teenager if you take the time to sit down and plan the night with them. Of course they will probably object to this but do not give in. Remember you are only doing this to keep them safe, and keep them from doing something they may regret later. You should know the person they plan on going to the prom with. If you don’t already know them take the time to meet them, possibly having them over for dinner one night. Also ask about their parents.

The night they leave for the prom make sure that your child has a cell phone fully charged in case of an emergency and some money. You will also want to make sure that you have the telephone number of the parents of their date. Reassure them that it will only be used in the event of an emergency. Do not let your child just party the night away and come home the next morning. Set a curfew time, if they want to hang out after the prom is over they have to let you know exactly where they are going and what time they plan on getting there.

You will also want them to call as soon as they arrive at their destination. It may seem like you are being a little overprotective, but this is a lot better than seeing your child on the news as a victim. Remember it’s not like when you were young and went to your prom. Things are a lot different now. The bottom line is to take the time and talk to your child, you may be saving their life.