Mom stages promposal, at-home dance for her son after his prom gets canceled

Naomi Medina planned an at-home prom for her son after his senior prom was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Courtesy of Naomi Medina)
Naomi Medina planned an at-home prom for her son after his senior prom was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Courtesy of Naomi Medina)

As the country continues social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19, high school seniors all across America are missing out on traditional rites of passage: graduation, senior cut days and, of course, prom. One mom didn’t want her son to miss his big dance, so she did the next best thing — staged one at home.

Senior prom at Hanks High School in El Paso, Texas was scheduled earlier this month. Anthony Medina, a senior at the school, had been looking forward to the event which, along with in-person classes, was canceled in accordance with measures to fight the coronavirus.

“My son was looking forward to attending prom this year. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, it didn’t happen,” mom Naomi Medina tells Yahoo Life about her son Anthony. “I thought to myself, ‘What can I do to cheer him up?’”

That’s when she had the idea to host a prom at home, promposal and all.

“I want him to feel all the emotions when being asked to prom,” she says of why she did what she did. “As if he really was attending his high school prom. Plus, that’s how high school students do it nowadays, with elaborate poster boards.”

Medina made the prom's theme "A Knight at Home" to correspond with her son's school mascot. (Photo: Courtesy of Naomi Medina)
Medina made the prom's theme "A Knight at Home" to correspond with her son's school mascot. (Photo: Courtesy of Naomi Medina)

Medina decided to wait just outside their house, holding her sign which read, “Prom w/Mom? Yes or Yes.” Medina made the prom’s theme “A Knight at Home,” in honor of his school’s mascot: the knight. Anthony, of course, said yes.

Proms at home seem to be a growing trend as much of the nation shelters in place, with stories of living room proms coming from all around the country.

“The best part about having it at home was our family spent the evening together eating, dancing and having fun,” Medina says, noting that the other prom guests were her husband and their other two sons and their daughter.

As for Anthony, he calls the at-home prom “memorable.” Adding, “Who wouldn’t like partying at your own house? A porter house steak for dinner followed by YouTube music, dancing with my family and no curfew.”

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