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Type Mismatched

Back in the day, I was able to entertain a dozen people on a day's notice and did a pretty decent job. Today, I had a mini meltdown getting through J's birthday party with ten kids and about seven adults. The venue was a picnic shelter in the woods bordering a lake with a playground is tucked around the corner. My friend D baked J the most gorgeous looking cake. I had a couple of moms call me this morning to see if I needed any help and I graciously declined. Instead, I tore through the preparations like a possessed hell-cat. I was too stressed to receive any meaningful help. The party went well and without any major snafu.

I wondered why it was so hard for me to keep my sanity - it was only a kid's birthday party and J had picked who to invite. It must have had to do with the adults who I knew would be coming. They make a pretty odd mix. Except for Lindsey none of the others are very social. I knew my attempts to get them interacting with each other would fall flat on its face - and it sure did. While the kids had an exceptional time, I tried in vain to get the parents to at least acknowledge each other. I would have never invited this combination home for dinner but kids change everything. Or maybe they do not.

Recently, I was at another birthday party where the parents had invited their own friends - the kids that came along were incidental. We had a good time because we vibed well but the kids were bored to tears. The host and the hostess were relaxed and having a good time. Their child's birthday party was not in any way different from entertaining their friends. They did not end up feeling socially inadequate trying to get their guests to talk to each other.

Its interesting how an odd combination of people can have kids who love each other and conversely how a like-minded group of adults can have children who are poles apart in temperament. I see J putting me through many repeats of today in the years to come leaving me to deal with social interaction challenged parents.
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Anonymous said…
Why didn't the parents just drop off their kids and come back later? I think kids above 5 bond better with their
classmates or their peers/friends in daycare (the ones they see daily)
11:34 PM
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