This is my son Michael…this is his best friend Ashton. (Isn’t he handsome?! Isn’t she gorgeous?!..grin!)
She is the daughter of my best friend.
They decided to go to the prom together.
In fact, they went with a group of their closest friends.
Much like kids do for proms everywhere.
But this is where my son’s prom differs. See we homeschool and these kids are homeschoolers.
And we felt they deserved to have a prom too.
So we worked hard and pulled off a special night for our kids. We planned, we raised funds, we decorated, we photographed and we provided a night to remember!
We hosted a sit down catered dinner beforehand for our seniors.
and then opened up the dance to all of our high school students.
and they danced…and danced…
and danced some more.
It didn’t matter whether they were 12 or 18 they had a great time together….
…it’s one of the things I love most about homeschooling!
And it reminded me so much of my own prom, so long ago, but yet it didn’t. Because here was the difference…the open display of faith that these young people have, a faith that I often hid out of embarassment and wanting to appear “cool”, was evident here at their prom. From the opening prayer over dinner…to the way they conducted themselves the entire evening.
All of these young adults has such a strong love for the Lord. They don’t mind moms and dads hanging around chaperoning, because there’s nothing to “hide”.
Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14
They don’t mind having younger brothers and sisters coming and hanging out and even joining in on the dancing…because they have been taught to love and respect their siblings…most days anyway. 
…and after it was all over, at midnight…. they stayed. Stayed to help clean up. Stayed to climb up on ladders in prom dresses and tuxes to tear down decorations and mop floors,
and then…instead of heading out to “party” till sunrise, they returned to our home instead.
To hang out and watch movies, and laugh and talk and just be together having fun.
This is why I love my son’s friends so very much! I love them for always lifting him up and never dragging him down.
Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
“A friend loves at all times…” Proverbs 17:17
I love them for being young men and women of faith, who will go out to be a light in this world! God is going to use them mightily for His Kingdom!
Thank you for indulging this proud Mom and letting me share a little of this special event with you! It was such an honor to be a part of this milestone evening in the lives of these young people! I am proud to call them not only my son’s friends…but mine as well!
But, most of all I am proud to be the Mom of this amazing young man! I love you Michael.
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LOVE IT!!!
Wonderful!
What a great night for some great kids! Beautiful pictures!
Pam
Loved you sharing your son’s Prom night. We home school as well and have the same kind of prom that you described. It is such great memories for the kids and parents alike (since we get to be involved too).
Handsome son you have. :0)
We also homeschool….LOVE your post! 🙂 I look forward to creating a similar experience when our kids our older. Love what you said about adults being included….my kids enjoy being with adults….and kids of different ages!
Awesome! I love hearing stories like this…proves we have a ton of wonderful young people and that the media doesn’t share enough “goodness” ~ at least in my humble opinion. 🙂 I know you’re so proud of your son…and yes, his friends.
Pat
Love this! The barn reminds me of Footloose!
That’s so cool! You’re a great mom. 🙂
Anna
http://www.askannamoseley.com
How sweet! I bet they will never forget, not because of prom, but because of all the love that came with it! : )
What I love about this is that they had all the fun of prom (clothes, hair, flowers, dancing) and none of the dangers we hear about. No one was sick from drinking, hurt in an accident, got pregnant or was hurt by not having a date. Instead, some lovely, young people had a lovely night to remember all their lives! WTG, parents! ~ Maureen
What a wonderful post. I had no idea that you homeschool. It is so nice to hear about kids just having fun without any of the normal nonsense you hear about with prom.
You know, we hear so many horror stories about all the BAD kids in society that t is wonderful to hear the story of really good kids. Your son is adorable and all kids look gorgeous!
Although we didn’t homeschool our kids went to a very small private Christian school and what a blessing for them…and us. We never had a moments problem with them in their high school years. They are now in their 30’s and married and both girls have maintained best friend relationships with their high school friends. God has been good! xo Diana
Simply…Wonderful!
I love it! Thank you for sharing the sweet joy of this group of wonderful young men and women!
What a lovely group of young people, and you certainly should have a swelled heart for sure. Michael is a very handsome and innocent looking young man,
and all of his friends looked very sweet and innocent as well. Which is a wonderful thing to see in this day and age. What wise Mom’s you were to provide this lovely event for them, I am sure they will treasure the memory always.
Blessings, Nellie
This is so amazing that you provided this experience. What amazing human beings and adults these kids will be. Our church does a Prom for all the kids over 16. It is an event all the teens look forward to because they know it is a safe environment, they know their dates all share the same values, and the too go to our homes after to watch movies and hang out together.
Seriously tearing up here!! Michael is so lucky to have such an amazing group of friends – and an even more amazing mom!
That’s all we can ask for – that our kids actually want to be with us and not be embarrassed or too cool (like I was back in the day)!
It looked like an amazing night – cheers to the class of 2012!
Kelly
so fun to see
you all work together
to do this for your kids
and gives me lots of ideas
for when our time comes!
alison
what a wonderful story! I have a feeling no matter where life takes them, that night and all those friends will stay with them forever 🙂 Kudos to you on raising an amazing young man!
Such a touching post! What a proud mother you must be, and he must be so proud to be your son! I love how open they can be with one another…it definitely wasn’t that way when I was growing up, and sad to say that the parent’s didn’t help the situation. What a fun and uplifting night it must have been!
Jessica
This is the best story about a prom!! Thanks for sharing all these amazing kids with us. You are one blessed momma!!♥♫
Heather, I know you must be so proud of your son! How wonderful of all the parents to put this event together for the kids.
xo, Sherry
Handsome….
Beautiful….
Amazing….
Hugs for Homeschooling!
Loved this, Heather.
I’m delighted for you and your handsome young man on so very many levels! Congrats and WELL DONE to all of you! xo
Wonderful post! Isn’t it the best feeling knowing your kids are on the right path?! I LOVE this and loved seeing the photos. Your son is a doll and his friend is gorgeous…so is her name btw (I have an Ashton too!).
Nancy
Great post,I really like your article
There isn’t much I enjoy seeing more than a group of faithful and wholesome young people showing the world that we still have good reason to hope.
And can I just say that your son is not only handsome, but would be right up my younger daughter’s alley. How do I know? I saw the shoes.
What a wonderful post…Angie
Thank you, Heather, for all you did to make our grandson’s prom such a terrific evening – with great memories instead of serious regrets. What a special young man with a very special Mom! Love you, Mom and Dad
This is such an awesome post and it is so nice to see nice young men and young ladies having a good time and making good memories! This reminds me of Footloose, but without the crazy preacher. 🙂 Well done!
Beautiful!!! They will have those memories for life!! What a beautiful thing you all did for them!!!
Absolutely beautiful!! What an amazing community you have around you. And what a special night for all the kids! You must feel so blessed everyday 🙂
What a wonderful evening. I really enjoyed your post so much. How awesome to have their very own, perfect prom!! What amazing kids!! And priceless to know they would be home safe too.
PS-I never got the whole, your in high school, but you can stay out all night and do who know what because it’s “prom”. Why!?
What a beautiful prom night! It feels so good to hear about teens having tons of fun, dancing, and celebrating, while still being safe and not self-destructive, or a worry to their parents. You should be proud, he’s a wonderful young man and so are his friends. I saw Mom and Dad’s comment. I know they are so proud of you and the great parent you are too!
Hi, Heather
You made me cry. I love the scripture you used and made me think about my son. What a sweet prom and day to remember. You are a awesome mom.
Vanessa
My heart is full reading this. BEAUTIFUL.
And good for you Mom … for “training him in the way he should go!”
Hugs,
Bj
This is a wonderful post, Heather. How blessed you are to have a son like Michael–with such wonderful friends! Isn’t it amazing what a difference good friends can make in a person’s life? That’s true for adults as well as kids, isn’t it?
So glad you were able to provide this evening of memories for your son–and for yourself!
I so wish my prom had been an experience more like this!
Love this!!!! Y’all will get a “well-done, good & faithful servant” for this.