Today’s news about the party bus groups being investigated by Clovis Police and Clovis Unified for underage drinking is a sharp reminder that prom season can be perilous. Parents had to be called in the middle of the night because dozens of teens put alcohol in water bottles and snuck them on the bus. The bus driver called the cops because several teens were clearly not well.

The good news is that an adult was driving that bus, alert to inebriated teens. Second, this group of clueless wonders was not driving on the streets endangering the lives of the rest of us. Thank God for that.

However, it does remind all moms that we need to ask lots and lots of questions before, during and after prom. We’ve sent off dozens of teens to prom with the best intentions. Usually, everything worked out perfectly. We took them on endless shopping trips for just the right dress, earrings, hair, nails, makeup, etc. We have arranged to get them dates, cars, paid for dresses for some friends’ girls who could not afford them. Despite our best efforts to make this a great night for them, some ignored our rules and drank.

One year, we decided to have an afterparty for a few kids at our own house thinking that would contribute to a safe night of fun. We cooked a ton of food for them, opened up our pool and spa, let them play music til all hours, and darned if they didn’t put booze in their trunks and sneak it in through the back gate. Another time, we were lied to. The kids said they were spending the night at a friend’s house (someone we knew) when, indeed, they rented a hotel room with friends and stocked it with beer.

We learned from those experiences to acccept no vague plans and to ask lots and lots of questions. And even when they are our perfect angels, check and double check their stories. No matter how great the kids, how truthful they have been in the past, confirm their stories. The peer pressure to do something outrageous on that night is very strong.

Anyone else with advice, please share. Moms need to stick together!