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I've been to three Mother & Son Dances so far: one on the East Coast and two on the West Coast.

Below is a table on Pros and Cons on Going to a Mother and Son Dance based on my personal experiences and feelings, and I hope this will help you if you're on the fence about going to one.
 

Pros and Cons on Going to a Mother and Son Dance

Pros

You get to bond and spend special time with your son(s). It can be fun to dress up according to the theme of the Dance or dress up nicely. The kids may really enjoy the Dance. You usually get to take nice pictures with your sons as a memory keepsake. If you're going with another mommy friend who also has sons, this might be a great night out of catching up with friends as well. If the event includes dinner, you get to enjoy a dinner that you didn't have to cook. They usually have a DJ playing fun and appropriate music at Mother & Son Dances so it's nice entertainment. There are usually fun activities for the kids to participate in besides dancings.

Cons

You may have to sit nearby strangers who you don't know, which could be unpleasant if you get anxiety in a social setting like this. The DJ may ask you to do the limbo. If you or your kids don't like to participate in a limbo, this can be a scary thought. Your kids might not have as much fun as you'd thought. Watching other moms have their mom friends while you don't have any with you can feel like a drag. People reserving seats for people who haven't shown up yet while it's not an assigned seating situation can be annoying. There may be bigger and aggressive kids there who you're afraid may intimidate your little kids. It usually costs money. If the event includes dinner and the food is not ready right when the event starts, you may have to wait around with a growling stomach until it's ready. (This is the case for any event.)

My Experience at Mother Son Dances

I think I enjoyed my very first one the most because it was my first Mother & Son experience, food was ready right when the event started and there were a lot of activities for the kids. It felt like a party.
(Picture of my sons playing a game at a Mother Son Dance)

Even though I enjoyed my first one the best, I still appreciate it when organizations plan a Mother & Son event. From what I've seen in many cities, there are way more Father & Daughter Dances than Mother & Son Dances so even if you only have one Mother & Son Dance in your city, I consider you pretty lucky! Furthermore, any public event requires months of planning, effort, time and money so if I'm attending as a guest, I have the easier tasks. I buy the tickets, dress nicely, drive there, find a parking spot and show up with my sons. For the organizers, it takes a lot of hard work and organization so I appreciate it when a Mother & Son event is offered!
(This is a picture of my older son playing a game at a Mother & Son Dance in San Luis Obispo County. This event was before my other son was old enough to attend with us.)

Judging by my word count between the Pros and Cons columns above, you may think that I'm leaning towards not going next year, which at the time that I am writing this post, I'm gearing towards not attending again. I've went to the Mother & Son Dance with both of my sons and created great memories from them but unless it's going to be extraordinarily different, like a video gaming type event for the next Mother & Son event, I think I'll figure out a Mother & Son thing to do on my own.

Most Mother & Son Dances take place in May, close to Mother's Day. See Upcoming Family-Friendly Events in San Luis Obispo County to see the next upcoming Mother and Son Dance for this year.

Here is a video clip of a past Mother & Son events on the Central Coast at Grover Beach Community Center.


There may come a time when your sons may not be interested in going to these dances with you as they grow up, especially when they'll have dances of their own in high school so enjoy it when they're little and still eager to go!

Have a great Mother's Day!

See the 'Family-friendly Events' page to see upcoming family-friendly events and activities in San Luis Obispo County.