A friend confided in me during our son’s adolescence, “You’ll learn to hate teenagers.”

He already had teenagers. It wasn’t that he didn’t love them, it was the age and mentality of his offspring that caused him and most parents much grief and concern.

Although never arguing his point, there have been a couple of rare opportunities where that sage advice has been proven foolish.

This Friday night the homecoming court will be presented at Tiger Field during half time. Among the senior maids is a special young lady who has never before worn a gown.

Her name is Amy and she is special. Her mother, Melannie Stallings, admits that Amy may not dress in the latest style nor do everything the same way everybody else does.

“But don’t feel sorry for Amy,” her mother adamantly insists.

Amy calls the South Panola football team, “Her guys,” and her love for South Panola is the reason her mother and step-dad decided to buy a house in Courtland rather than move closer to work in Desoto County.

“She loves it (South Panola). She is their biggest fan,” Stallings said.

Someone in the senior class took it upon themselves to nominate Amy for maid on the homecoming court and she was later elected with other senior maids by popular vote of the class.

From those senior maids, the homecoming queen will be elected by the entire student body.
“Me South Panola princess,” Amy says to her mother who notes that regardless of that ballot’s outcome, Amy has already won by being voted a princess.

And it appears that some of her school mates have been politicking for her to be elevated to queen with Stallings sharing a post from social media that had another senior maid supporting Amy.

Stallings explained that the other homecoming maids will probably go on to college, get married, have children and buy a house and go through the traditional milestones in life.

But being a senior maid at South Panola’s homecoming may well be an unforeseen pinnacle that Stallings never envisioned for her special daughter.

And Stallings wishes she could tell those teenagers who are students at South Panola just what they have done for Amy.

“They put her above themselves—a very mature and caring act that is unusual in the world we live in today,” Stallings said adding, “I wish I could tell them.”

I think she just did.