What does it say about a person when the highlight of their life is a high school prom? Next to a high school graduation, which is no great feat in and of itself, there is nothing sadder than a person who’s fondest memory, the pinnacle of their life, is a dance they attended at 17.

What does it say about one’s accomplishments if the prom is the best memory they can muster? Unfortunately, for many children there are no subsequent accomplishments after the prom, what they have in store is a life of mediocrity, brought on by sloth and complacency.

For many teens, the prom has become the most important event in their high school lives, far more than the SAT, GPA or any other academic acronym. As such students and parents alike spend big money for the prom and prom related activities and accessories. We have heard stories of children arriving at proms in everything from Ferraris to helicopters; with girls wearing dresses costing in excess of several thousand dollars.

Does it really matter if children and their parents choose to waste their money on prom dresses and limousine rides? Certainly not, they have the freedom to spend their money however they see fit, its unfortunate, however, that these same teens and their equally washed up parents who live vicariously through their soon to be washed up children, choose not to focus on pursuing more worthwhile endeavors, ones which pay handsome dividends in the long run.

This phenomenon of lavish prom spending only highlights the failure of parents to entrench much needed values and an appreciation for hard work, such values have long since been replaced with an entitlement mentality by which parents seek to buy their children’s love.
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