Tyre's mom called on his behalf to ask if Maggie would accompany Tyre to the prom on May 4. I responded on her behalf that she would love to. His mom asked her dress color so Tyre could get the matching shirt and accessories and get Maggie a corsage. (I suggested she skip that as Maggie will either methodically tear it to pieces or be allergic to it.)
No, this is not Victorian England where parents are arranging suitable dates for their offspring, it's parents of two non-verbal disabled teenagers conveying messages.
Of course attending the prom with Tyre means that both of them will arrive in separate wheelchair vans driven by their respective parents, and their "dancing" will be limited to having folks move their wheelchairs in unison, but that's how things roll in Maggie's World.
Maggie is already excited. She loves the build up, she loves getting ready and then she has so much fun in the short time she actually spends at the prom.
Mission High School has invited the special ed kids to attend at no charge for the past couple of years. I presume that is the case again, but I'm not sure. If Maggie needs to buy a ticket, of course we will do that. This year is is taking place at the Museum of the African Diaspora, which should be pretty cool.
I read the other day that the average amount a single high school spends on Prom is $1,078 Not per couple, mind you. Per person. Can you imagine? That staggering amount includes the dress or tux, the ticket to the dance, the limo rides, the hair, nails, makeup, shoes and jewelry etc. .
Maggie is single-handedly bringing that average waaaaay down. As noted, she likely gets to go for nothing, which is a start. Her friend Anne Marie (who also provided her beautiful birthday party dress) gave her a beautiful dress to wear. There will not be any limo or hair or nail costs. We do have to find some shoes, but considering her feet are still in baby sized shoes, that's not an outrageous expense.
We did buy something, though. Maggie and I went out the other day to shop, thinking perhaps a nice hair ornament would work. We came up empty on that score, but we did find a "tennis bracelet that will match her dress perfectly and we went for that. Now we just needs shoes and stockings. .
The prom is a right of passage. Everyone should get a chance to go. Although Maggie's experience is very different from those of her non disabled peers, I doubt any of them have more fun than she does.
And if they're spending $1,078 each, this is one of those times I am thankful Maggie is anything but "average"
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