This blog was written by my co-editor Cheryl Clemens:

This week marked the first of many events my family will attend leading up to my son’s high school graduation next month.

On Tuesday my husband and I attended a recognition dinner for all the students who spent part of their school day this year as an intern. My son, who is interested in theater management, was thrilled to be paired for the year with Vickie Johnson, the production manager at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. She kept him busy, taught him about all aspects of theater and reinforced his desire to major in theater in college.

Now, as a theater person, my son has his own style when it comes to clothes. This year has been the year of the vest. All year he paired vests with T-shirts, button-down shirts, you name it.

Tuesday was no exception. He wore his best jeans, a purple shirt (his school color) and a black vest. It wasn’t until the evening was almost over that I realized he was also wearing flip flops.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked him.

“It’s OK,” he responded. “These are my dress flops.”

Dress flops?!

I am not making this up.

My son. My honor student son. My honor student son who has been accepted into the Rouse Scholars Program at Howard Community College next year, is under the impression that rubber flip flops can be an upscale accessory.

Now, if I had seen him at home before the event wearing flip flops, he would have never left the house in them. My son has the biggest, squarest, flattest feet you ever saw (just like his father). Flip flops are probably the worst footwear he can choose, yet he insists on wearing them.

He is also three months shy of turning 18, so I have to balance my advice with the knowledge he is a man who needs to make his own decisions.

I just hope that Howard County Public Schools has a dress code for graduation attire.

And I hope there is a line explicitly prohibiting flip flops.

Even dress flops.