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Remember all the dances back in high school that you needed a date for- homecoming, junior prom, senior ball, sadie hawkins?  I've recently become aware of a very common, almost expected practice among high school kids called "asking cute".  Instead of just having the pressure of asking someone to be your date for the dance, now kids are expected to ask in a really cute, creative, and interesting way.   Like a boy who puts a dozen roses on a girl's car, then puts another dozen roses in her locker with a note asking her to the homecoming dance.  Or the girl who sends a boy on a mini scavenger hunt around the school, finding note after note, until he finally ends up on the football field where she and her friends are holding up a huge sign asking him to the prom.  A friend of mine helped her son's girlfriend decorate his room with balloons, streamers, and a cake that said, "Will you?" on it. 

 A high school teacher I talked to said that some kids won't agree to go to the dance unless they are "asked cute".  Are you kidding me??  As a stepmom of a 14 year old who will be in high school next year, I'm a little concerned.  Sure, it's cute and adorable, but for every single date dance?  Not only does the kid feel anxiety about asking a girl to a dance, but now he has to come up with some brilliant, creative, original way to do it, or else he might get rejected.  Please.

My husband also has an opinion about this.  He said that if a girl says  no because she wasn't "asked cute", then she's not worth going to the dance with anyway.  He thinks it's a waste of money, and is just added pressure on the kids to "keep up with the Jones'."  You go, hubby.

I can see the whole "asking  cute" think for a big deal, last dance type thing, like senior ball.  But to do it all year, every year, for each date dance...  it just gets old.  Maybe just plain asking someone to the dance will become the creative, original, unordinary thing to do after a while.

My stepson is "promoting" from 8th grade soon.  Kids don't graduate from 8th grade anymore, they are now "promoted" to high school.  Usually after the promotion ceremony, families take thier beaming child out to dinner to celebrate with loved ones.  My stepson has LOTS of loved ones.  In addition to mom and dad, he's got stepmom (me), stepdad, 5 gradparents, 2 step grandparents, 1 great grandpa, 4 uncles, 3 aunts, and 5 cousins.  That makes for a large table at a restaurant. 

In order to avoid a hostess' meltdown trying to seat us all somewhere (not to mention a huge dinner bill), my husband and I have volunteered our house for the celebration dinner.  All of us, the whole blended family, in one backyard.  Some of my co-workers think I'm crazy for having my husband's ex-wife and her side of the family over to my house.  But I'm not the one promoting from middle school.  This isn't about me.  It's about my stepson.  This party is for him.  And besides, his mom's side of the family are a ton fun to be around.  I should know because I've been around them for the past 7 years at all my stepkid's soccer games, talent shows, choir concerts, and birthday celebrations. 

There are some things we celebrate separately, like Christmas, Easter, and other holidays.  But my stepson is only going to have one promotion ceremony, so we'll all celebrate with him together.  Because we are all his family.