DATE: Friday, April 11, 1997                TAG: 9704110066

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BARBARA ANTIS AND SONYA ISLAM, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENTS 

                                            LENGTH:   74 lines

CURFEWS, COSTS, CLOTHES AND COMPROMISE

DEIDRE EASON has prom night all planned. She has the perfect dress, the perfect date and the perfect plan for the evening, which includes hanging out until 6 o'clock the next morning.

But mom wants Cinderella home an hour after midnight.

``Twelve o'clock would be ideal but not realistic,'' said Janice Eason, who hopes her daughter will have ``an evening of elegance.''

Both mother and daughter are ready to compromise, though. They want to ensure that Deidre, a 17-year-old senior at Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, has a great experience.

As prom season nears, parents and teens all across Hampton Roads are ironing out the details and reaching agreement or disagreement on how prom night will be spent, how much it should cost, and what the expectations are.

Teenology contacted the Easons and three other families to talk about their prom plans and expectations. Interestingly, most were in agreement without even realizing it.

Take Kimberly Smith, for example. If Kimberly was setting prom curfews, well, there wouldn't be any curfews.

``I would stay out all night if it was up to me,'' said the 17-year-old senior at Salem High School in Virginia Beach, ``but my parents will probably want me in by two or three.''

Actually, Kimberly's mom, Roberta, doesn't mind if her daughter pulls an all-nighter, so long as it's a school-sponsored, supervised event.

``The biggest thing is to know the kids who they're with and to know their parents,'' said Roberta Ransdell. ``It puts your mind at rest.''

At the Channel household in Portsmouth, 17-year-old Lawrence hopes to get by with a little help from you know who.

``My parents are paying for the tuxedo, I hope,'' said Lawrence, a junior at Churchland High School. ``I'm paying for the corsage, dinner, limo and tickets.

Don't sweat it, Lawrence. Mom's got you covered. ``We feel that while they're in school, we have the consideration to help them with the milestones in their lives,'' said Gayle Channel, referring to Lawrence and his brother Chip. ``We understand the financial pressures the guys have.''

Lawrence's mom is even willing to loosen up on the 2 a.m. curfew. ``If I know their plans,'' she added.

Cool, because, as far as Lawrence is concerned, ``this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and they (parents) should be pretty lenient.''

Many parents relax the rules around prom time, but still moms and dads are concerned about their teen-agers' well-being. They want the event to be special, not a disaster that everyone wants to forget.

That's why Judith Saunders is concerned about all-night parties in hotel rooms.

``No matter how careful you are, accidents do happen,'' said Saunders, whose 17-year-old daughter, Jennifer, is a senior at Maury High School in Norfolk.

Fortunately for the Saunders family, Jennifer isn't even thinking about hotels. After ring dance last year, she went to a friend's house and watched videos. She may do the same thing this year.

Mother and daughter haven't yet discussed curfew, but Saunders wants Jennifer to know that no matter the hour, she can call home.

``Late-night calls are OK,'' Saunders said. ``Our policy is if something comes up, tell us. We don't want to be in doubt. If other individuals are drunk, you're always free to call.''

No matter what their differences, all the families to whom we talked were sure about one thing: They want prom night to be special.

``I have no expectations for prom,'' said Lawrence, ``but I'd like for it to be a unique and memorable night.'' MEMO: Sonya Islam is a junior at Churchland High School in Portsmouth.

Barbara Antis is a junior at Hickory High School in Chesapeake. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

HUY NGUYEN

The Virginian-Pilot

Deidre Eason and mother, Janice...

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