This is prom as he knows it, and it's all good

Max went to prom again this year, looking super handsome—straight out of the prom catolog!—and like the young man he is. What?! I delude myself into thinking that time will stand still with him. My baaaaaaaaby!

Max dressed casual-cool in a plaid button down, khakis and his beloved red Chucks. He headed out with his main squeeze, Daddy, chaperoned by Ben. Before he left, he grudgingly allowed me to take photos. As happened last year, my heart twinged when I looked at him through the lens of my phone standing there, alone. But as is pretty much consistent with raising Max, all the feels were mine—he had no qualms whatsoever about heading to prom by himself. He knew he'd hang with his buddies, eat tasty food, dance like a maniac and generally have a blast.

Max doesn't know that at so-called typical proms people often take dates, although to be sure it's not unusual for friends to go together. He doesn't care that his dad walked him in or that he mostly boogied with his teachers.

We moms sometimes project our own sense of how things "should" be onto our children—they "should" have more of a social life,  they "should" be excited about the event or trip, they "should" enjoy the theme park, yada yada. We angst and ache over the childhood and adolescent joys we feel they are missing out on, but in the end, our kids don't realize and/or care...and the truth is we shouldn't, either. Are you listening, heart?

Max came home with a gigantic grin on is face. He rocked prom. He rocks life. And once again, I sit here reminding myself that our children are living their best lives, not ours.