The excitement, the pressure, the stress, the hype, the expense, the planning, the sleepless nights, the expectations, the anxiety - oh my, does any of this sound familiar? To parents of kids participating in a matric ball, this is an all too familiar scene. And, yes, it is all of the above and then some.
For one who, for reasons better not mentioned, did not attend her own matric ball there is the sense of living vicariously through my daughter as the anticipation builds for her right of passage. Both her dad and I are tremendously proud that she has reached this momentous point, and understandably we are excited with her and for her. For any child this is a huge event, it marks the end of a high school journey (and where, as in our case, it has not always been smooth sailing, the significance is that much greater) and also titillates the promise of things to come in the wonderful, yet daunting adult world they are about to enter.
But the madness. Oh boy, madness lurks supreme in some of the crazy schemes I have seen unfolding as parents (and children caught in the frenzy ) run amok trying to outdo each other in providing grander, more lavish or outlandish (and needless to say astronomically expensive) gowns and regalia for their young chicks. What is it about matric balls that seems to ignite that overly competitive fuse in some to the point of an explosion that would put a Guy Fawkes fireworks display to shame. From the mode of transport being a coffin on wheels (I kid you not) with a daughter dressed in Godzilla garb and the partner in something even more macabre, to...ok, I can't actually think of anything that could outdo that one. Or maybe I can - one of my daughter's classmates has had liposuction and a brow lift (the kid is 16 for goodness sake, what parent thinks that's ok) to fit into her matric gown and look the part of what she has been pressurised in to believing she should. Where is all this madness going to?!
And then there's my Jami. No fancy shmancy for this one. In fact, we bought the material at a knock down price little more than two weeks ago and its being made up to a really simple design by the family dressmaker. Yep, no designer garb here. The shoes, that was bought at a winter sale at a store and price that will have fashionistas weeping in their Pradas. So I did splurge a bit on the jewelry, a princely sum of R265 I'll have you know. Oh, and the 'after party' dress was another R200. And the best bit, oh you're going to love this, a clutch for R25 at good old Chinatown! I think her partner's mom actually ended up paying a lot more for his outfit than we have for Jami's. But her premise is based on him doing his matric at a technical college and therefore not having the traditional matric ball on his calendar, therefore compelling her to provide him with what she feels he may miss out on. To each its own, I guess.
Yet, despite all the crazy angst, I'd be the first to admit that I can't wait for Saturday. Yep, I said it! Nothing takes away from the wonder, joy and sheer magic of your child's matric ball. Something I recommend to all aspiring parents. If ever there's a good reason to have a child, the magic of a matric ball ranks way high!!!
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