I scored a date to the prom for my son.  Really.  This is one of those mother-of-the-year stories.

With his new license, my son drives between his father’s house and mine at will.  At 16, he’s not my most open and communicative kid.  I was so bummed to find out the week before prom that he didn’t have a date.  He was playing it cool, like it didn’t matter.  So I asked him if he would go if I got him a hot date from another school.  He doubted I could do it, so of course I rose to the challenge.

As it’s done in the modern world, I introduced them on My Space, and my son invited her via text messaging.  I cannot convey the flurry of stress and activity that ensued in the following 72 hours.  You must know that I achieved the fine moment of getting the girl to say “yes” just as I was leaving town.  How am I going to do this?  I am headed to the airport on an out-of-town business trip.  (Lest you strip me of my mother-of-the-year award upon discovering that I am out of town on prom weekend, remember that my son does not communicate.  I had one week notice on prom.  OK, OK, I should have checked the calendar myself.  Deduct some points.)

Now I have some serious tasks to accomplish in the next 48 hours, and his dad wants no part of this stress.   I need a tux.  I need a safe ride from Escondido to Petco Park.  I need flowers.  I run the BBB.  I have contacts.  I call my limo contact.  They are all booked up for the weekend.  Crap, now what do I do.

Well, Sheryl, how about doing what you tell everyone else to do?  At the airport, I pulled out my phone.  I accessed the internet (thank you teenagers for forcing me to text and look up movie times on my phone.)  I went to bbb.org and found a report on an accredited tux shop two miles from my house.  I called them and told them my son was on the way.  I looked for an accredited limo driver.  The second report I pulled up was close to home and they had an available limo at a lower rate than my sold-out buddy.  Two more phone calls and I was set.

I know I run the place, but I’m a believer.  My son had a great prom experience, and I didn’t worry whether the companies I chose would take advantage of him.  We both have pretty great memories of that flurry of a weekend.  Make some of your own.  Try it for yourself at bbb.org.