How to Tell Someone You won't go to prom with them

Prom is a memorable occasion for many teenagers. However, hormones, inexperience and immaturity can make small situations huge dramas that cause a lot of scars, frustrations, hurt feelings and bad reputations. So what do you do when you are asked to prom and you do not want to go with this person. Whatever should you do?

Instructions

1. Think about how you would like to be treated if you asked someone to prom. Put yourself in the "rejected one's" shoes.

2. When asked to go to prom and you know that you do not want to go with that person, simply say , "Thank you for asking but no." In all honesty, you owe no explanation and you are not being rude. If you cannot say this directly to someone, then ask to think about it and send it to them via a note or email or phone message. Go with whatever way makes it less awkward.

3. If you do ask for time to think about how you are going to reject your asker, do not take a long period of time to respond to the person. Do not wait until the last minute to say no. It is cruel to keep your asker hanging and you should give them the opportunity to find someone else to ask.

4. Be kind and use kind words when saying "No." Remember that the person asking has feelings too and when you say no, those feelings may be feelings of rejection. Rejection never feels good, so be a saint and minimize the pain. If your asker wants to know why you will not go with them and you feel like telling them a reason, be nice. Saying something like "I would rather go stag" is not kind.

5. Be honest. Do not make up an excuse about your dear grandmother being terminally ill and you needing to be by her side. What if someone else asks you to the prom and you do want to go with them? You are going to look like a huge jerk when you are spotted at the prom with someone else.

6. Do not turn this into a gossip subject with your friends. Be gracious whether you are male or female. It takes people a lot of nerve to ask someone out, especially to such a memorable event like prom. Be flattered that you were asked and thought of and do not turn this into a nightmare situation or serious regret that the asker will have. After all, gossip can flow both ways. If you say something bad about your asker, he or she may be inclined to say something not so great about you.