We used to wonder if choosing a non-traditional lifestyle meant our kids might miss out on the classic milestones—school dances, team sports, senior pranks, that whole big coming-of-age storybook. And then Lucas went to prom in Budapest. On a river cruise. On the Danube. With a stretch Hummer limo. So… yeah. We’re not worried about that anymore.
Picture this: over 90 worldschoolers from around the globe, dressed to the nines, laughing and dancing as the lights of Budapest sparkled on the water behind them. It wasn’t held in a gym with a snack table and a chaperone trying to dim the lights. It was magic—historic bridges overhead, the Parliament glowing gold, and music echoing across the river. There was even a drone show on the Danube that night.
Lucas rolled up with his friends in an actual stretch Hummer limo, because when your classroom is the world, you learn to go big in style. These kids—who’ve grown up crossing borders, learning in museums and marketplaces, building friendships across continents—came together for one unforgettable night. And honestly, it felt like something out of a movie.
What hit me most wasn’t just the setting (though wow, right?), but how full and joyful these kids are. How they show up for each other. How, even without lockers and pep rallies and all the “normal” things, they’re not missing a beat. If anything, they’re getting the best of both worlds—tradition and adventure, community and freedom, structure when it matters, and space to be wildly, creatively themselves.
Prom isn’t about fitting in—it’s about showing up, feeling seen, and celebrating who you’re becoming. And Lucas stepping onto that boat, surrounded by people who get him and this path we’ve chosen as a family? It was everything.
So no, our kids aren’t missing out. They’re gaining a whole new version of coming-of-age—one that includes castles and cobblestones, sunrise flights, river cruises, and friendships that span oceans.
And we wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Here’s to the kids doing life differently. And to the parents out here cheering them on.
