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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that primary school proms are total wank?

147 replies

ChickensHaveNoLips · 28/05/2012 20:56

DS1 leaves primary school in July. Today he brought home a letter informing us that to celebrate year 6 leaving, they are having a prom. DS is horrified, as apparently a lot of the girls are insisting on dates. DS would rather lick his own foot than be seen publicly with a girl, what with him being 11 and all. Tonight the fb discussions have started between parents arranging limos. Limos for 11 year olds. Surely this is beyond batshit crackers? Is this insanity normal now? What's wrong with a disco and a handful of haribo ?

OP posts:
Butterflyface · 28/05/2012 22:49

Oh, and I'm so proud that DD (13) has already decided to go retro for her 'prom' (boak) in 3 years. She's got plans for a red and white 50's swing dress and she's going to look fabulous next to all the girls who'll be wearing exactly the same gownless evening straps! :o

ifeellove · 28/05/2012 22:51

Well I've just signed up to attend Ds1's nursery graduation!! Nuts or what? I think it involves mortar boards not sure about limos and dates.

ilovesooty · 28/05/2012 22:53

It's fucking materialistic bullshit, and we all know it is. Year 11 proms are pushing it, frankly, but Year 6?

Couldn't agree more.

LynetteScavo · 28/05/2012 22:56

What happened to discos where there boys did knee skids while the girls danced, and everybody drank panda pops.

At DSs end of Juniors disco the deputy head was the dj, they had no disco lights, but I think the school have since invested, it lasted an hour and the kids had the time of their lives.

I think I might start a Limo company. It seems to be a booming business.

NoGoodGirlo · 28/05/2012 23:06

Right, just to clear this up once and for all, primary age children in the USA do not have prom. My 8th grader (year 9) will have a dance that parents attend too. Dresses are not over the top, no limos, no tuxedos. Prom is for High School and even then they are very tightly controlled.

At least that is the case in our state. Maybe things are different in other states as America is a huge and diverse country.

CeliaFate · 28/05/2012 23:10

I think proms for any that age are a ridiculous waste of money. But when my dd left primary, her school organised NOTHING. Not even a disco in the school hall with somebody's ipod. Nothing. I was really cross that it felt like they couldn't be bothered, especially when the year before they'd had a disco between home time and 7pm.

Tannhauser · 28/05/2012 23:11

I wouldn't couch it in quite the same terms, but I completely agree with you! Grin

Fecklessdizzy · 28/05/2012 23:18

Utter Tosh.

Our lot had a barbie/disco along with the internationally celebrated PTA Sugar 'n' E-numbers Dispensery and a madly sticky time was had by all.

jubilucket · 28/05/2012 23:25

A very kind (and brave) parent had the whole lot round for a sleepover in their garden, one family size tent for girls and another for boys. Big paddling pool, waterslide, firepit for marshmallow toasting... it was a small school so only 15 of them altogether though.

Groovee · 28/05/2012 23:27

We're having a qually

Its a ceilidh then I've got the community centre booked for a disco afterwards. We got dd's dress today.

OneHandWavingFree · 28/05/2012 23:30

As Halbanoo and NoGoodGirlo have already pointed out, you really can't blame the Americans for this tackiness.

Proms are for graduating high schoolers - 18-year-olds, mostly, with some 16-and-17-year-olds attending. I have never heard of a prom in primary school in the States. It's a rite of passage for teenagers, it really doesn't happen at any other age.

If British schools and British parents want to dress up their eleven year olds and order them a limo and send them off to a 'prom', then apparently it's a really tacky aspect of your modern culture. Don't go blaming it on folks three thousand miles away :)

sunnydelight · 29/05/2012 02:25

YANBU, the primary prom thing is daft.

At the other extreme our Y6 graduation last year was a family affair to the extent that the venue where the meal was held had to close the bar and we all got jugs of warm squash instead! I know it makes me sound like a dipso but I really resented as an adult not even being able to have a glass of wine with my dinner.

redfuchsia · 29/05/2012 06:19

A prom for Y6 leavers is tacky. They are too young. However, Proms for Yr11 and Yr13 are very popular nowadays. Where we live they are much the same as the 'end of term dances' we had when we were young but by another name. Few limos if any in these parts.

Hopandaskip · 29/05/2012 07:11

Ds#2 is leaving primary school here in California. they are having a disco tomorrow (they have been learning the electric slide in pe) but you can wear anything and no dates or limos. They are also having an end of years pool party.

ripsishere · 29/05/2012 07:27

Mr Incredible summed it up beautifully [[
[about Dash's graduation] It is not a graduation. He will be moving from the 4th grade to the 5th grade. It's psychotic! They keep inventing new ways to celebrate mediocrity, but when someone is genuinely exceptional--
enhance! (0) lol (0) win (0) :-( (0) wtf (0) cute
here]]
DDs leavers thing is at the British Legion club down the road. Disco and sandwiches.

raspberrytipple · 29/05/2012 07:32

My brother had a primary school prom, i was literally disgusted. I thought it would just be a big disco but nope, they were all rocking up in limos and horse drawn carriages and posh/'kooky' vehicles. Such a load of shit. I don't even get the secondary school thing of having a prom either. It is indeed a massive bag of wank and should be banned.

mumto2andnomore · 29/05/2012 07:36

I agree far too young for limos and getting dressed up , as for dates that's just asking for trouble as the 'cool' kids are paired up Sad Here they change school after y9 so have a prom then but even then they take them in a bus so no limos !

PetWoman · 29/05/2012 07:39

YANBU. It is awful. But presumably it's parents who are buying the outfits, hiring limos etc? Can't understand why, and none of them have appeared on this thread to explain themselves! Grin

Queenofsiburbia · 29/05/2012 07:41

O M G

We had a trip to Alton towers! Heels and make up were banned until I was about 15 at school. WTF is going on, is it the big fat gypsy wedding influence?

At end of sixth form (as in actually. leaving. school.) we had a leavers ball, no boys allowed Confused

Although tbh we had all been going to the Christmas Cracker Balls since age 16 - major snogathons. I think the Snow Ball is or was the southern version?!

I also want to watch saved by the bell.

snoopyplaystennis · 29/05/2012 07:52

YABU all proms are total wank Grin

wotzypunkbunny · 29/05/2012 09:13

To do a prom at End of primary is too much, thoughtless is way. A letter from school, so the school think its ok to turn an average school disco into a prom, sadder. Limos, no.

We did something similar to Maryz. A non limo pizza hut spin off group, all walked home for school, in a large group back to someone's house, garden party, water fight, picnic, we all chipped in.

Next day heard of many kids waiting ages for the limos, all overbooked for the 10 min trip to pizza hut.

bringbacksideburns · 29/05/2012 09:19

Yes they are doing it in our Year 6. My childminder is one of the organizers. £15 a pop. Don't see anything wrong with the disco and buffet etc at school but apparently we have to meet in the town centre and they get the limos and go back to school - a distance of maybe 10 minutes Hmm

I'm more pissed off that the theme is The Oscars and ds wants to hire a Tuxedo.

Gah!

JoannaFight · 29/05/2012 09:33

A small party or picnic is lovelySmile. A full blown prom and all that it brings (dates, limos, one upmanship) is insaneHmm Urgh @ 'dates' for 11 yr olds. Horrible.

Not just for Primary school either. They're at it again at the end of senior school. Proms like Halloween aren't something I get at all. How have they become part of our culture? Although Halloween and Proms may have some similarities if Carrie is to be believed Wink

vess · 29/05/2012 10:14

DS had a disco party last year. No dates and no limos.

Mrsjay · 29/05/2012 10:18

Both my dds have done primary prom its so arsey I hated it although kids loved it ,DDs were not done up like 20 yr olds though and didnt have a fooking limo some had limos hummers hired sports cars a fireenegine Hmm , kids really enjoyed it though but why prom just cal it a leavers disco/party DD1 had her senior school prom last year ,was a drama