Pretty in Pink and Blue and Yellow...

D2 was invited to her boyfriend's senior prom, and despite a rather untoward event at last year's event, Wifey and I decided to let her go. As I write, she's off at Parrot Jungle's banquet hall, hopefully laughing with friends.

There's a new tradition that seems to have evolved with high school proms, at least in our privileged neighborhood: the pre-prom gathering. This year, one of the girls invited all the kids sharing the stretch Hummer limo and their parents, and we gathered for a delightful event.

The host family lives in Snapper Creek, which is probably my favorite neighborhood in Miami. The houses are huge and on 2 acre lots, lushly landscaped. The house where we gathered tonight looked like a miniture Monticello, complete with white columns and a huge porch filled with 10 rocking chairs. There were platters of sushi and other foods, and wine for the parents.

But --of course the star attraction was our gorgeous kids. The boys, in suits and tuxes, looked uncomfortable in the way that generations of 18 year olds wearing tuxes looked. I still remember my beige 1979 polyester job, with light tan patent leather shoes.

The girls were truly gorgeous. As my sister Sue once observed --there is no such thing as an unattractive 18 year old girl. And the group tonight, all made up and wearing amazing gowns, were as delightful as any group ever.

Everyone clamored for pictures, and the parents talked about what colleges were in store for the prom goers this Fall. It was an unseasonably cool evening, and no one seemed in any hurry to leave.

But then, of course, the enormous Hummer limo showed up, with its booming train horn. Two of the moms interrogated the driver, making sure there was a zero tolerance policy for alcohol and drugs, as well as unscheduled stops (last year, the "bad bus" D2 was on left a similar gathering, and then stopped at a parent-less house where the kids loaded up on booze).

The kids posed for more photos outside the limo, and then piled in, laughing and joking with each other. D2's date is a thoughtful young man, and we agreed that he hated cliches --especially the one about tragedies on Prom Night. I really like this kid.

So off they go. They're spending the night on Miami Beach, and are due back tomorrow afternoon. Another rite of passage...

Meanwhile, D1 is attending HER boyfriend's fraternity formal in Daytona Beach. I guess it's prom weekend at all levels.

Was my prom really 30 years ago? I guess it was, including it's Seals and Crofts theme "We MAy Never PAss This Way Again." Well, I did pass this way, and I'm enjoying it more this time, through my daughters' eyes.