Oxford Preschoolers Party at Precious Prom

On May 18, the Oxford Public Library hosted a prom with a twist. None of the guests of honor were more than 6 years old. 

The third-annual Precious Prom was the social event of the season for local kindergarteners, preschoolers, toddlers and infants as young as five months. Festivities began at 10:30 a.m., the timeslot ordinarily reserved for the library’s Babies & Books storytime. From the moment the first guests walked through the door, however, it was clear that the morning would be anything but ordinary. 

Dressed to impress and full of energy, 32 children and 28 adults waltzed into the town hall’s community room to the upbeat sounds of a Wiggles song. Grownups cooed over young guests’ miniature party dresses and tiny button-down shirts and vests. A toddler named Hunter even sported a boutonnière of red carnations and, appropriately, baby’s breath. 

After guests formed a circle in the middle of the room, yours truly, Miss Marissa, stopped the recorded music. Then, the party really started.  

For the next forty minutes, we shunned the idea of library voices. We sang at the tops of our lungs about our heads, shoulders, knees and toes. Guests jumped like monkeys, trotted like ponies and fluttered like butterflies. Children danced with a rainbow of scarves. We also tapped our names on a plastic drum, a regular storytime practice greeted with such excitement that one-year-old Harmony rushed to the center of the circle for her turn even before I had finished giving directions. 

Attendees all had a chance to shine. Each child boogied down an aisle of cheering promgoers as the Yo Gabba Gabba song, “I Like to Dance,” blasted at full volume from the library’s boombox. 

Children looking for a break from the action could pose for pictures under an arc of balloons. Later, they received prom favors: bubbles in containers shaped like gowns and tuxedos. 

Best of all, as the prom was drawing to a close, the crowd chanted “The Bubblegum Song,” a storytime staple, in one enthusiastic voice. To attendees, it may have been nothing more than a tiny bit of routine slipped into a formal occasion. But to me, that moment was special; I was listening to 60 people sing a song that most didn’t know before visiting the library. 

Even though this prom wasn’t the “real” thing, children were still able to enjoy traditional prom highlights. For example, it is true that no one arrived in a limo, but they all had chauffeurs. And while many of their dates were their parents, grandparents, or even a great-grandparent, that meant that everyone had a dance partner for the last slow song, “Rockabye Baby.” Plus, although there wasn’t an official prom king or queen, even the shyest child ended up flashing a dazzling smile fit for royalty. 

Tired royalty by the time guests headed for the door. Bye-bye, dancing shoes. Hello, naptime and dreams of next year’s sparkling outfits.