£500 dresses for a junior prom?

Its madness. I can't stand this creeping Americanisation!

My GD2 had a 'graduation' from nursery - red robes and all. I don't think her brother had this, or perhaps he decided to give it a miss. None of mine has had a prom at the end of primary school - usually a disco, if anything.

11!!! and as for junior graduations - just plain silly.

Local play school has abandoned "graduation " this year , due to parents laughing at the idea . I can't believe that sanity has returned !

I know little girls like to dress up and it is an important day for a child but this is ridiculous. What's wrong with going daft and getting everyone to sign your school shirt and having a school disco? Heaven knows what they will expect at a proper graduation when they get older, parents will have to take out a second mortgage

A FB contact of mine posted pics of her daughters 'graduation' from reception class to Yr1 complete with cardboard morta ??? boards obviously made in class

The world has gone insane and they wonder why children have no childhoods What is new and exciting when they get older if new experiences happen for younger and younger children?

My GD "graduated" from nursery school with cap and cloak. She didn't really understand what it meant but I have a lovely photo to mark the day. I agree proms are just silly money with young girls getting hair and make up done and looking twice their age. We had end of year discos at school and we were excited enough about that. There's no need to do this for primary or junior school. My daughter had a school dance when she left school at 18, it was in a hotel and they all dressed up I think it's called for then but not at a younger age.

My niece just had her prom. The fuss was beyond ridiculous. The dress , which they hunted for for months cost a ridiculous amount of money. Then there was accessories, then hair, professional makeup, nails , photographer and a high performance sports car rented to drive her there!!

My sister wants her head examined !! It's all about keeping up appearances I feel.

My next door neighbour booked a limo for her daughter to go to the school prom. Which was at the end of the road.
I always worry about the families of kids who can't afford all this - even if it is a load of nonsense.
At one time first communion dresses for little catholics were getting more and more elaborate. I gather some churches put a stop to it and decreed school uniform should be worn. Not sure if this was common.
Round here there have carnivals in the summer which are mainly about small girls being dressed up in bridesmaid-y styles. (plus the sparkly make up etc) and being paraded through the streets.
Is there a deal cultural need to display daughters in finery?

First communion dresses weren't just for Catholics. My mum made my white dress for my C of E communion.
Our town still has a carnival along the same vein. Not quiet on the scale of American. pageants thank God.

Its all a bit "My big fat gypsy wedding'ish. If you didn't see that programme it featured ridiculously OTT dresses and coaches etc.

Total madness- and at the age x 10000000000000

But to be honest, I blame the parents. They should just have the guts to say NO, firmly. End of A'Levels, perhaps- but even then there should be strict guidelines to limit cost of dress to £150 max, or something.

Its not so much the dresses though agree £500 is ridiculous-if you go to University you will probably wear it again. It's the professional make up ,hair,spray tan ,nails etc .And they end up looking about 25 (not mine ,thank god)
Both mine said the limo was one of the best bits though..

The end of Primary school dresses certainly won't still fit at Uni. I saw lovely dressy dresses at TKMaxx...

I made a note of this website recommended on TV. Anyone looking for secondary school prom dresses might be interested, although it is a bit late in the day. Prices are all around £60
www.chichiclothing.com/prom-dresses/

The other thing is that children are being brought up to have all this money spent on them. However once they go out into the working world they will come down to earth with a bump - if they ever want to leave home, that is. Housing costs are so high these days that there can be little money to spare for someone on an average wage.

I agree with others it's madness, I really don't like the idea of dressing girls up as "princesses" anyway. I imagine the pester factor must be a burden for parents. Another rather stupid import from America where an outlay of money and a great deal of expectations are involved.

My grandma made my first communion dress out of my mother's wedding dress. I did get a new veil and shoes though and yes I have heard of late holy communion dresses are getting very elaborate and expensive too.

This is really appalling, a little ceremony perhaps, but spending that sort of money is wrong for all sorts of reasons particularly the mercenary aspects.
It must be incredibly socially divisive. For those families who do not have money to spare it could be really upsetting.

As Nina says get them to decorate their own hats.

I am feeling deprived.

Not so much as a party at the end of 6th form (although there was the inter-school dance where the boys sat at one end and the girls the other, until the last dance).

Spray tans? Professional makeup? Stretch limos?

It was the first time I wore mascara and I went on the bus!

I think we are entering an era where "experiences" are what counts, be it celebrations or organised events even for very young ages. The trouble is along with these experiences comes the necessary wardrobe, because one has to be seen in all one's finery. It's a bit like Cinderella going to the ball.

The whole thing makes me see red. As Jessm said what about the families who can't afford all this nonsense. The terrible pressure it must put on the families.
I feel, as the schools themselves are to blame for this, they should at least have the sense to have some sort of "market" for dresses. Someone with computer nouse could easily set this up.
Why we have to import this American idiocy is beyond me-like Halloewen. I have no idea how you would ever get these genies back into the bottle.
It would take a lot of courage for a school to put their foot down and say "no more".
We could not have afforded this when our daughters left school.

Greed again,somebody's making a big fat profit,
Why don't people just say no thanks,we'll pass.Where will it end for goodness sakes.

In Y11, my GD1 told me that if they didn't behave themselves during the year they would be banned from the prom - quite an effective deterrent, she said, though not perhaps in those very words. That was about 8 years ago and I don't things had got as daft then as they are now. Her dress cost double figures and was stylish without being showy. Though I say it, as a 'proud gran', she would have looked good in a bin bag. She did her own make-up and shared transport with her friends. When her brother had his prom, he wore a white tuxedo from a charity shop and looked like a young Michael Jackson! Heaven knows what her young half sister will 'require' when the time comes for her prom in three years' time.