A little over three year ago, as my oldest daughter was on the cusp of her middle school years, an article popped up in my Facebook feed. The article, "Why I Let My Daughter Dye Her Hair Blue" , is a must read for all parents. It resonated with me and lingered in the back of my mind throughout her middle school years. For the most part middle school was pretty tame. The limits weren't pushed too much. She made good choices and good friends. The article slowly faded from my mind until the end of 8th grade. Middle school culminates with a "formal" dance. This is put on by the PTO at a location in town, not at school. In typical school dance fashion, most girls go all out...hair, make-up, dress, and heels. As my daughters was in joggers and Crocs more often than not, attending this dance was not on the top of her to-do list. She was being pressured by her friends to go. Not only was this the celebration of the end of middle school, but just a few shor