AIBU to dress up to match my son for his prom?

[MissRaspberryRipples]

Hi there. My son has his high school prom coming up next month as he's 16 and doing his GCSEs at the moment. He's chosen his outfit choices and I've purchased both suits that he liked so he has a choice. He's gone for purple suits which are lovely. I've also purchased myself a lovely purple dress and some nice shoes so that he can have some lovely mum and son photos taken on his special night. I showed them to my partner and all he has said is that they're nice and will look great but why am I making such an effort when it's not even my night? He says it's silly and isn't necessary. He thinks I'm overdoing it on the effort for a night that isn't for me. Is it really unreasonable to want to make the effort or is he just being unnecessarily mean

Not grammar, it’s vocabulary.

It does sound a little weird. He’s only leaving compulsory schooling, not getting married or graduating.

My son would have been mortified if I did this to him. I think I’d feel a bit mortified too.

I’ve had a son and daughter who have had their proms already and have more next year and the year after and I’m sorry but this is just weird. I suppose each to their own but I just think it’s your sons night, you are not his date my son matched his date as in his tie colour. It’s his day not yours also.

I had a brief moment reading this of thinking ‘crap I haven’t thought for a second what I’m going to wear’ then realised that’s NORMAL!
I would quite like a family photo pre Prom so might remember to put some make up on but otherwise dress casual and stay right out of the way!

I'm a teacher so I've been to loads of Proms and seen loads of photos. It's a bit jarring when parents are dropping kids off in their scruffs, I like it when they make the effort too.
It's my turn this year and I'm sort of complementing my daughter's dress with an opposite but matching coloured nice summer dress. Not too formal, like something I'd wear on holiday one evening.
Mind you, I have saved the cut-off fabric from the dress alterations to make a matching bandana for the dog for family photos so make of that what you will!

... apart from his Mum who, for some weird reason has got herself a matching dress.

Sorry yes I think it’s creepy and over the top

It's not something I would do. I had a photo with DD before her prom and I was wearing denim shorts. I do think you are getting a very hard time here. Just have the photo done and keep the memory, ignore the haters.

Why would you dress up to drive your kid to a prom, or anywhere for that matter? Surely you don't even get out of the car?

I am constantly amazed by the random and frankly bizarre ways in which people judge others. Do you know what I would assume if a parent dropped off their child at prom wearing standard clothes? That they were a normal person who had their own life and didn’t attempt to insert themselves into the celebratory events of everyone else. Dressing yourself up for someone else’s prom is akin to taking a cake for yourself to someone else’s birthday party. It’s not your day, it’s not your moment.

Why are parents getting in their kid’s prom pictures? I don’t understand…

Oh God, don't. All three of mine would be/would have been utterly mortified. Don't be that Parent.

It's clear, given the very few comments you have answered, that you're doing this no matter how many people tell you it's creepy/innappropriate etc. Why bother asking, you obviously think it's all good. Plus side if you post the picture to tik tok you'd probably make enough cash to pay for your son's therapy and his aversion to anything purple in later life.

I love the sound of a purple suit! I’ve so far had 3 out of 4 of mine’s prom and I used to love to see a boy or girl in a more ‘out there’ outfit, I expect he will look fab!
Having read your posts and he’s just having some photos with you and you’re not hosting a ‘pres’ or going to the actual prom then it’s only going to be you and your family who sees you match anyway isn’t it? For our proms we’ve hosted ‘pres’ and most mums wore something sort of smart casual so they could have a nice photo with their kids too. I don’t think anyone wore a dress but if you aren’t with other parents then you can wear anything?
With all our proms the parents always go to look at them all arriving as they come in anything from a mini to a Porsche to a tank! Are you sure you aren’t going to watch them all arrive? If you are I’d quickly change again before then.

This sounds horrendous and glad he’s your ex can 100% understand why he had multiple relationship breakdowns

Op please don’t do this by all means get a photo with your son but please don’t dress up for the occasion hope your son has a fantastic prom and best of luck to him

I sometimes wonder if women like the OP remember what it was like to be a teenager themselves? I mean making sure you’ve got a nice top to have your photo taken with him before he goes to prom would probably be more forethought than most people would put in, buying an entire outfit in a matching colour is way out there unless you’re Victoria Beckham, and she’s got dresses to flog for her business. Also at 16 I very much doubt he’s not interested in having a girlfriend, it’s more likely that girls aren’t interested in having him as a boyfriend.

Is this a dress you bought just to put on in your house? For an event you aren't going to?
Or there's at least a formal-ish pre prom party you are both going to?

All the bullies that never outgrew school are on here OP

Take a nice photo together, anyone who had an issue with that is just a sad bully 💜

I think people are being unnecessarily unkind. But since you asked for opinions, here is mine - I do think it’s a bit too much.

My son went to prom last year and he would have killed me if I did this. He did allow photos to be taken of us two in our garden before we went to the pre-prom party but I wasn’t dressed up, just in pleasant presentable clothes. I think he’d have been mortified if I’d have dressed to match him. At the pre-prom there were about 15-20 kids and none of their parents had dressed up. We all took loads of photos of them, not us.

But if your son is encouraging this then you go ahead. And have a lovely time. 💐

I love your son's jacket and hope it isn't too warm. Also, seeing his choice, I can imagine he might think it fun to have a photo with his mum also in purple. If you don't manage before he sets off for prom maybe you can get some pictures with the whole family another day?

Actually this is surely a wind up? Op your own writing style just says bored teenager to me, lots of inconsistencies and weird references to things that don't actually happen, and you're not great at discussing stuff without becoming simplistic and sweary whereas you gave a fair bit of thought to constructing the first post
You don't read as genuine, but you do read as 2x 16 year olds arsing about on their phones on a Sunday.

Creepy and intrusive

Why have you posed if you’re not willing to hear any opposing views? I get people being unnecessarily unkind isn’t on but you’re not taking anything on board.

Personally, it’s not something I would do and if I saw this, I would maybe think it was being done for a bit of attention, if you were planning on attending where all of his other friends/classmates go with their families before the prom starts. You can still get a nice photos without being matchy matchy with an OTT dress imo.