First Homecoming

It wasn't long after the first day of school that our two high schoolers were introduced to a term that was new to them both:  Homecoming.  I had to explain the concept to the family since R, a Canadian, never experienced it--namely that "homecoming" in the United States refers to a high school, college, or university game, dance, or other event to which alumni are invited. Our son quickly decided he was not interested and was soon bored with the hype surrounding this all-important event in the American high school calendar.  K, on the other hand, was intrigued, but assumed she would not be asked since she was new to the school.

As she came home each day with reports of who was going with whom, my emotions were mixed.  I wanted her to be part of the fun, but I also dreaded the inevitable difficulty of finding a dress that would be acceptable to both of us.  About three weeks ago, she came home with the happy news that she had in fact been asked to homecoming.  I now realize that we should have gone out that very afternoon and started shopping.  Instead, we put off the expedition to the last minute, something I most definitely do not recommend.

After visiting several shops, despairing multiple times, and sending out a few SOS texts to a sympathetic aunt and to friends with older daughters, we finally settled on a dress that we thought would work with a couple of alterations.  Then it was time to look for shoes and accessories.  A friend texted back that she had just purchased her son's tie---apparently it's important for the tie to match the dress.  "Was homecoming this stressful when we were in high school?" I asked.  She replied that she thought not, although we did recognize that it's been a few years since our high school days.  

We ended up having to order both the dress and the shoes since the sizes K needed were no longer in stock.  Thankfully they both arrived well in time on Wednesday.  I finished the alterations Friday night, just in time for the Saturday event.  Whew.  We had about five minutes to take photos before her date and his parents arrived to pick her up.  I think everyone was a bit nervous, including the parents.  I took a photo or two, and they were off, first for a photo session with their group of friends at a nearby park and then off to a local restaurant before the dance.

K returned home last night exhausted but happy.  Remembering more than one disaster story from my own high school days, I was relieved that all had gone well.  So was she.  We went to bed with lighter hearts, glad to have navigated what felt like our biggest cultural test since our return home last May.

 

Comments

[Nikki]

K has grown to become such a beautiful young lady! I'm so glad to hear that she had a wonderful time. I love her dress:)

[Shanda]

She looks lovely. I had to laugh while reading the post. Grace asked Rich if she could go to Homecoming w/out a date and he simply said NO. I felt sort of bad for her but now I can see there was a blessing in disguise in not having to put together an outfit. YOU DID GREAT!

[Christie]

Thank you! We were somewhat relieved that Cameron had no interest in going, with or without a date. His outfit wouldn't have been so difficult, but still ...