When I was pregnant with my daughter, I told my husband that I couldn’t wait for Juliana to go to prom one day. I imagined how much fun it would be to pick out dresses, get her hair done, and meet her nervous date. He broke my heart when he said that proms do not exist in France. Actually, schools do not host any formal dances! My middle school had a dance every month and it was what we all looked forward to. We learned how to dance, and we got to experiment and laugh together. I’ll never forget my first dance, my friends in the older grades showed me how to move my body. Then when my little sister entered my school, I got to show her (who can now dance crazy circles around me!)
As a freshman in high school, the prom was a huge topic. I was lucky to be invited to prom all four years, and loved each one of them! Such wonderful memories of choosing gowns with my mom and sister, and getting hair and makeup done professionally at the mall. I was a bit of a tomboy in those days… wearing my brothers jeans to school and baggy t-shirts. I started shaping up my final year, but still, most of the time, I looked rough. I was big into sports, from rollerblading on half-pipes to running cross country. This was my big day to dress like a lady and feel beautiful. I also loved seeing boys in tuxedos and friends in gowns.
I read the article Un Business de Princesses in Le Monde today about how proms are catching on in the UK. Maybe by the time my daughter is in her final years of school, the prom will have made its way here. Baby showers are starting to make their way in France, so it’s possible. Otherwise, I guess I’ll have to ship her off to my hometown to experience a prom there!
Sometimes it makes me sad that my daughter will not experience some of the same things as me. I had such a wonderful childhood and hope to give her everything I had and more. I will not be able to relate to some of the things she will want to do here, just as she will have trouble trying to imagine some of the stories I will tell her. I guess this is one of the disadvantages of raising a family abroad.
Image Credit: ket9v on flickr
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