A 7-year-old boy from North Carolina has earned the rightful title of Prom King in his local town after he personally threw his nanny a socially-distant, mini backyard prom.
As Good Morning America reported, Curtis Rogers of Raleigh, N.C., went the extra mile for 17-year-old Rachel Chapman when he learned that her own senior year celebration had been canceled as a result of the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak.
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For the last year or so, Rachel has been babysitting Curtis after school part-time, and the two have become very close friends.
“She has become [a part] of our family… he absolutely adores her,” Curtis’ mom, Elissa Rogers, told GMA . “She’s a just great person with good heart so it’s been a blessing to have her helping us out with Curtis.”
However, when the pandemic hit the country Rachel not only saw her graduate year at Sanderson High School cut short early (which meant her senior prom was canceled), but she also had to pause her babysitting duties and could no longer see Curtis.
Elissa sat her son down to explain why Rachel would no longer be taking care of him after school, and also happened to mention that the teen’s prom had been canceled.
But that was when 7-year-old Curtis really surprised his mom. As she recalled to GMA , “His response was, ‘We can throw a mini prom’ and it grew from there.”
With his mom’s help, this passionate little boy organized a socially-distant backyard dinner and dance for his beloved nanny, and personally saw to it that the night would be absolutely perfect.
But before any planning could start, Curtis had to actually ask Rachel if she would got to “mini prom” with him.
In a photo shared to GMA by Curtis’ mom, the little boy asked Rachel to attend the adorable event with him by writing out a message on a banner.
” Mini-prom is not today.
But will you come on Monday? “
Unsurprisingly, Rachel agreed to attend.
Every detail of the evening was meticulously planned out by Curtis who wanted to make sure he threw Rachel the best prom possible.
The menu was based off of foods that the two usually enjoy after school together — peanut butter and apples for an appetizer, Chick-fil-A for the main course, and some tasty smoothies for dessert.
Since prom is a formal occasion, Curtis made sure to dress to the nines and wore a blue suit complete with a purple bow tie.
Since this “mini prom” was taking place during a pandemic, certain measures had to be taken to ensure it was a fun, yet totally safe, event.
A pool noodle and jump ropes were used to help keep Curtis and Rachel 6 feet apart at all times while they ate dinner, while Curtis toasted to his favorite babysitter, and even while the pair danced the night away.
While certainly not a conventional prom by any means, the evening was positively perfect, and Rachel was able to have that senior experience she thought she was going to miss out on.
“I was so surprised,” she told GMA . “I had no idea [Curtis] was going to go all out. It was very thoughtful and sweet.”
Her mom, Becky Chapman, added, “It was a sweet thing for him to do. They have a special relationship.”
Photos of the adorable backyard prom were shared on Twitter by Rachel’s mom, where they quickly went viral.
“My daughter has been a nanny for this amazing kid for over a year,” she wrote in the caption . “When he realized she wouldn’t have a senior prom, he wanted to throw her one. He planned a socially distant prom, complete with dancing & her favorite foods.”
As of writing, the sweet post has over 54,000 likes and has been retweeted more than 6,800 times.
In the comments, users have expressed their joy at seeing a little boy personally make his babysitter’s prom dreams come true.
“That little cutie pie is going to be a heart-breaker,” one person wrote. “This is so precious!”
Another added, “What a little gentleman!! He’s so sweet!! Your daughter is beautiful! Looks like she had a really wonderful time!”
