Senior prom is a milestone event that many teens often look forward to. For many, it's the first time to dress up and feel like an adult. It's also a great way to celebrate your final moments of senior year with your friends.
But not everyone goes to prom. Some people don't find it necessary, but others straight up aren't able to. On the subreddit of "Made Me Smile," one recent post stuck out. It was an image of a son bringing his mom to the prom. He chose her as his date since she'd been unable to go to her own prom. At the time, she was pregnant with him.
It's sweet to know that her son had her back and let her have a memorable night out. The two looked fabulous. In fact, unless you knew the story, you might not have guessed she'd even be his mom. But the Reddit community was all over it. It's a great story that people need right now.
The image seemed to have been reposted on Reddit. If you're curious about which areas have proms (especially in January of 2021) don't worry — the original post hit the internet around 2017. But it's one that deserves to be continuously shared.
The son, who was 18 at the time, is named Nassir, per BET. His mom's name is Fatima. The images initially went viral on Instagram. The reason why Fatima didn't go to her own prom was because she was trying to save money for her new arrival — which was Nassir.
It was one of Fatima's first acts of putting her son and her son's needs first. Obviously, she formed such a loving bond with him throughout that time and was always a mother first. In just one picture, you can see their whole relationship.
Philadelphia photographer Dionté Wade took even more pictures to really commemorate the moment. "His mom killed it so gracefully," he added in the comments. The pair went all out, with hair and makeup to really make sure Fatima was as glamorous as possible. (But honestly, that wasn't too hard to do.)
He even helped publicize the story, since he was also so impressed by the gesture. "If there is any one act I can think of at this moment to define 'DOPE' it would be the story behind a senior prom send off I shot Friday," he wrote. "I witnessed a dope son full of pure excitement because he was able to make one his most memorable nights a shared experience with his mother, whom 18 yrs prior did not have an experience like this of her own."
"And then there was the dope (expletive) mom, who raised this selfless son and could not stop smiling at young man he had become as he continually made sure she was ok," he continued. "Oh yeah, and they killed their outfits." Surely it was a shoot that Dionté will never forget.
In every picture, Fatima looks so happy to be there. It's impossible that she knew how things would eventually play out when she missed her own prom 18 years prior. But based on both missing her own and being invited to her son's, it's very obvious what happened in between that time.
She raised a polite, gracious, and extremely grateful son who recognized the sacrifice of motherhood. No matter how old a woman is when she gets pregnant, there are always sacrifices being made. And oftentimes, those get swept under the rug.
He's also showcasing the fact that he very much loves his mother. He understands what she gave up to provide for him, and he's doing his best to pay it back. While it's amazing that this story went viral, these situations shouldn't be so rare for it to become so newsworthy.
Nassir isn't the only guy to choose his mom as a prom date. Joe Moreno also brought his mom, back when he was 17. It was 2018, and the reason was very similar to Nassir's. "My mom had me at the age of 17," he wrote on Twitter. "She dropped out of high school to focus on giving me her all. Last night I gave her the prom night she never had."
Joe's tweet also went viral. In the pictures, you can see how happy his mom is. And speaking of photos, he got a lot of special ones the night of. These are pictures that his mom will cherish forever.
At the end of the day, prom is just a milestone. It's a night in your life that you'll remember feeling your most confident. Something about dressing up, the anticipation, and the limo ride to the venue makes you feel like your best self. While some might think it's odd to have mom tag along, it's also sweet that people would want her to feel the same way.
Moms, in general, don't get a lot of opportunities to dress up and look their best. Being able to buy a sparkly prom dress is a thrill, and it makes the occasion even more special. If you and your mom both have the confidence to make it work, it could become a true highlight for her.
That said, not everyone would be comfortable bringing mom to prom. But you should still make a point to go out with her and grab dinner sometime. When you're old enough to truly understand the important role she's played in your life, you'll want to get to know her as a friend as well as a mother.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
