The Senior Ball is coming up at Las Lomas High School this Saturday, and the principal is urging parents to not allow their kids to rent hotel rooms for pre- and after-prom festivities.
The Las Lomas prom will take place at the Merchant's Exchange Building in downtown San Francisco. Northgate High just had its senior ball Saturday night at the Palace Hotel, also in downtown San Francisco.
I have heard that students often book rooms for prom night at a hotel in Walnut Creek, and this can be an issue for local police. As for the upcoming Las Lomas senior ball, Principal Pat Lickiss says in an e-mail notice to parents: "Once again this year I have heard that some parents are allowing students to rent hotel rooms. I would urge parents not to do this but instead have parent supervised pre- and post-ball gathering in homes."
So, parents: What do you think of this practice, allowing your kids to rent hotel rooms for their prom night all-nighters? Do you let your kids do it? If you do, and you think you have a good reason, please share your experience. If you're a student, and you think it's a bad idea or a good idea, I'd be interested in hearing why.
19 comments:
I remember growing up in the mountains and our parents rented the hotel rooms for us. But our school was for some people 20 miles away, and the prom may be another 20 miles away, so we'd get hotel rooms so we didn't have to figure out transportation after the prom/ball and the limo or whatever would pick us up the next morning. This was 1990.. Worked fine, I know one year there was an issue with damage to a hotel.
Well hey, both sets of our parents thought we were spending the night at friends houses after the prom, but my girlfriend and I (this is in the days before teenagers carried cell phones) rented a room in a hotel. We both had a great time that night.
Good times I tell ya, good times! Hope my kids don't do that though.
Reputable hotels will not rent to high school students so very stupid parents will rent the rooms in their names. In fact, reputable large hotels will not even host high school proms because of the liability and property damage.
Any parent who gives the okay to their kids by encouraging non-age appropriate activities should be prepared to pay the piper when their little darlings get into trouble.
Even at 18, kids need parental supervision and guidance. Parents, take responsibility by acting like intelligent, moral adults
Is the high school making any effort to provide the kids with another option?
I remember at my prom (granted this was on the East Coast so maybe this isn't a trend out here) the school threw a post-prom party at the school gym with casino-style games, prizes and auction items. Parents and teachers volunteered in shifts to help out. It went from the end of prom to 6 AM the next morning. No need for a hotel if you are up all night having fun!
Hotel room = mayhem. It's the rock star way. Both my sons, recent grads of Las Lomas, went to post-prom parties at the homes of friends. We hosted pre-prom photo opp parties for the kids and their families. Parents stepping up and coordinating with each other can help make the prom fun but not scary.
well its not premartial sex if they arent getting married..... from a radio station dj
I don't even know why this is up for discussion. Parents frequently whining about principal and faculty leadership. The Principal is making a perfectly reasonable requests of parents. All parents have to do is partner with their school administration and comply with the request.
As some parking lots fine or tow vehicles that belong to people who don't patronize their establishment, all of the local hotels should fine patrons who rent rooms and allow their minor children to stay without the parents. Credit card deposits should be mandatory, and charge the parents or any children 18 and over for any damages.
Money talks. As soon as people feel it in their pocketbooks, it'll stop.
9:18,
My son attended NGHS and he went to Grad Night. That's different from Prom Night. I graduated in 1981, and we got limos and rented hotel rooms, and there was a little drinking and weed, but we didn't tear up other people's property. My parents taught me to respect others and their property. If I had damaged someone else's property, my folks would have knocked me into next week.
Many (and I mean a lot) of people today think that the rules apply to everyone else but them. Their kids learn the same BS. Imagine that.
Kids will be kids. Let them rent hotel rooms. Sheesh, when are we going to put an end to the nanny state.
7:34 pm -
Kids may be kids but there are all sorts of really bad things out there to watch out for. If you are a parent and had a daughter that became a victim of the date rape drug would you still moan about the nanny state? Doubtful.
As adults, it is our responsibility to both guide and protect our kids so that they may have the opportunity to reach adulthood relatively unscathed.
I am a parent of two boys. The way I see it I have two penises to worry about.
You parents with daughters, I feel for you, you have to worry about hundreds of penises.
Good luck.
Yes, kids may be kids, and thus, most do not have the experience that a few years brings. I cannot believe some adults, and presumably parents, would condone them renting hotel rooms for their own personal use after a prom.
And 7:36 -- I assume that from your statement about your past history that you feel it would be okay for your son to rent a room, and partake in a little drinking and weed with friends. Wow - not quite what I would expect, accept or encourage with my sons. I thought there were rules against this. But your last line says "Many (and I mean a lot) of people today think that the rules apply to everyone else but them. Their kids learn the same BS. Imagine that." I guess these "rules" did not apply to you.
Hmm.. Unsupervised teenagers in a hotel room with members of the opposite sex... Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. What parent in their right mind would allow this?
I feel like everyone on this blog underestimates the kids. If they're intending to party they're probably going to find a way.
A truly good parent teaches their kids how to avoid and learn from those experiences. The more you're down you kids throats, the more they are going to rebel against that in college. You have to let people learn things for themselves in order for it to have any impact.
Quite worthwhile info, thank you for the article.
Oh geez , i am 18 now and i am going to rent a hotel room with my boyfriend regardless of what my parents tell me. I am a legal adult now and it is time to cut the cord .
Renting a hotel room is no different than staying in college dorms which will be happening. So renting a hotel room for ONE night is the least of any worries .
If I don't rent a hotel room for prom night I can make up for it a week or two after it once I finally move out of the house. I wish parents could just trust their children. All of us don't have sex and get drunk and pregnant on prom night, or any night regardless. Would you rather have your kids fucking in a parking lot or in the hotel basement? Your pick.
I'm a recent graduate, and my parents trusted me enough to rent a hotel room for post prom because we live so far away from the venue, but with my older brother, they decided against it, because he was a more rambunctious person, who was most likely to make bad decisions that night. While I on the hand am a more timid person,so they trusted me, because they knew that I was just going to sleep there, so I didn't have to travel back home which was two hours away from where the prom was being held. There's no one perfect answer for every kid, for me it made sense, because I had established that I was responsible while my brother showed he shouldn't be trusted.
It's so sad, I have tons of stories from when I was in school. My kids have none, all they do is play video games and some sports in school, but that's still completely supervised and they have no freedom. I hope they do rent a hotel room when they go to prom so they at least have one story to tell.
Post a Comment