Prom... At preschool?
Long dresses and bow ties aplenty, but hold on a minute, this is preschool! Find out more about this parenting trend with the latest on the recent increase in preschool proms.
What are your views on preschool proms?
While proms were once reserved for teens graduating from high school, they have recently infiltrated the realms of younger children, with not just primary school students anticipating the year-end event, but preschoolers hopping on the bandwagon too. Is this another harmless trend or does it represent a larger social condition?
Preschools in the UK and US have recently started hosting proms for their junior participants, who arrive in luxurious limousines and are clad in elaborate gowns or suits. These little divas toddle along the miniature red carpets in the lead up to the prom event, where there are often performances and photo-taking sessions.
A little too little?
Flabbergasted parents with their jaws dropped in response to the tenderness of age of the young participants can take heart in the fact that they are not alone. While many view preschool proms as a harmless opportunity to dress their precious children up to the nines, it is also acknowledged that perhaps kindergarten is a tad too young.
In fact, squirmish toddlers who relish their messes and freedom to run about would definitely not appreciate stuffy suits or restricting dresses. Kids are, after all, kids — and they might not be able to understand the significance of such an event, or possibly even be able to enjoy it at all.
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Young tots at their preschool prom
Memories at a steep cost
Gone are the days where preschool graduation parties just include a box of pizza and sandwiches to end off a school day early, should the trend of preschool proms arrive in Singapore. Pampering parents locally are highly susceptible to catching on this practice, with many mums and dads having the means to spend on a luxe celebration for their little ones.
Currently, international fashion designers already have their lines for preschoolers aged four and below. Brand names include John Rocha and Jenny Packham, globally revered designers who send the costs of little formal wear soaring sky high.
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Priming your child to expect excessively
We all know that memorable and elaborate events, including preschool proms, would not come cheap. Burning a hole in your pocket to adorn your son with a pocket square or your princess with that tiara might seem like just an innocuous one-time splurge, but what you’re actually buying is your child’s unconscious internalisation that such extravagance is normal.
If limos and ball gowns are a thing of the norm today, what would your little one expect in ten years’ time at their secondary school proms? Would it even be possible to outdo the status quo? We leave it up to you to decide.
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For more young extravagance, catch an episode of the American reality TV show on child beauty pageants, Toddlers and Tiaras: