Whether it’s their first or last prom, people look forward to the dance for months. The excitement of getting ready, finding the perfect outfit, making plans for dinner and pictures. Everyone can’t wait for the event of the year. 

But then they arrive.  

As soon as they enter the building, it’s complaint after complaint about the dance they’ve been waiting so long for: it’s too hot and too crowded, people keep running into them, the music isn’t very good and it’s too loud. 

This concept confuses me, and I have no idea why complaining about a special and exciting occasion is a thing. Knowing that you’re going to a school dance that was organized by the school, with hundreds of your peers attending should mentally prepare you for what is inevitable.  

Yes, it’s going to be crowded, because it’s prom. This is the dance people care about most. They spend tons of money, get ready for hours and plan this evening for months.  

There is an immense amount of people crowding the dance floor, trying to get down to their favorite songs. When you are standing in the middle of a sea of people, you have to accept that you are going to get bumped into or maybe stepped on. Being cranky about occasionally getting ran into is going to ruin your entire night and even the night of others.  

Having a room full of hot sweaty people is going to make the room well, hot. There are, however, easy solutions to this simple problem. Ice cold water from one of the many coolers are freely provided to you for your consuming pleasure.  

Finally, the music may not be ideal, but odds are you do not have the same taste as music as 90% of the people standing around you. You’re not going to enjoy every song. Standing around and waiting for your favorite song to come on is going to keep you standing in place for half the dance. Get down and jump around, even if it’s not the best song.  

The people who put the playlist together tried their hardest to make a school appropriate playlist that would appeal to everyone, so we need appreciate their effort and attempt to enjoy the dance, even if it’s not your preferred playlist. 

Prom is one of the most exciting times for high school students, but standing around and having a bad attitude the entire time is not only going to ruin your dance, it will affect other people’s mood. Make the best out of the situation and enjoy the experience before you don’t have the chance to anymore.