18-year-old Joe Moreno brought an unexpected date to his high school prom: his mom.
The Texas student chose his mother Vanessa to take to prom at Collegiate High School in Corpus Christi on Friday. She had him at 17 and dropped out of high school, never getting the chance to attend her own prom. The teen went all out, helping his mom pick out her dress and corsage and even “picked her up like a real date and walked in arm-in-arm with her.” In doing so, Moreno officially followed through with a promise he made to her when he was in middle school.
Moreno shared pictures of his beautiful date in a since-viral tweet. “My mom had me at the age of 17 she dropped out of high school to focus on giving me her all,” he wrote. “Last night I gave her the prom night she never had.”
My mom had me at the age of 17 she dropped out of high school to focus on giving me her all. Last night I gave her the prom night she never had. pic.twitter.com/obsGzYxX8K
— Joe Angel⁶? (@joeamoreno8) April 14, 2018
Vanessa told KRIS-TV that she hadn’t actually expected her son to take her, despite his reassurances. “Senior year came up and he brought up prom and I kept asking who he was taking, and he kept reassuring that it was me,” she said.
The pair had fun all night long. “We danced and danced — it was great,” said Vanessa. “Sometimes people don’t know the sacrifices us mothers make. We just hope that it does get seen, and I am so glad my son did see my sacrifice and wanted to give back. It meant the world to me.”
For his part, the teen “can’t believe” his act of kindness blew up on the Internet. His tweet raked in over 184,000 likes and 30,000 retweets in just under five days. Hundreds of commenters expressed how touched they were by Moreno’s gesture.
The teen said taking his mom to the prom was the “least he could do,” and that Vanessa “loved and really appreciated the night. This is something that will last in her memory forever,” he added. “It really means so much [to me] to give that opportunity to her.”
h/t KRIS-TV