Homeschooling the Teen Years - Prom

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a large group of homeschoolers in possession of a gym, must be in want of a prom.

"There's nothing I love better than a...homeschool...dance," said Mr. Bingley.
"You might find their society somewhat savage," replied Darcy.
"Homeschool manners? I find them charming."

Okay, I admit it's not exactly Jane Austen being quoted above...much in the same way that a homeschool dance isn't exactly like a prom.  But then...

… I don't have much to compare it to.  The private boarding school where I attended high school didn't allow dancing, much less proms.  So, when we moved from Tiny Town, Montana to Big City, Montana (known to the rest of the world as Small Town, USA) just as the kids were reaching their teen years, and realized our local homeschool association held not just one, but two yearly dances...

… I wasn't sure I was on board.  That is until I witnessed one.  I'm sure homeschool proms are different across the country, but in our area the homeschool seniors pick the theme for the spring dance (the fall dance has traditionally been a masquerade).  Parents decorate...

 … and chaperone...

… and younger siblings act as servers, so it's really a family affair...

… with a dinner for the teens...

… and a photo booth (obviously) for those obligatory awkward prom pictures…

… oh, and dancing.  There is dancing - kind of a strange mix of waltzing and swing, country line and contra.  And just like that, we're back to Pride and Prejudice (only not quite) which is what I was thinking today, as I watched the kids practice...

… because that's the other thing - in our area, the teens get together once a week to practice for these dances, too.  The Man of the House (who went to public school) was genuinely tickled when I told him they were practicing the Footloose dance, today.  He was horrified though, to find they've turned it into a country line dance...

… apparently he was thinking of Kevin Bacon...

… but that would be much less like a homeschool dance.

It's great to be a homeschooler.