Last night I hosted a party for my daughter’s Marching Band rank. Well, technically, she hosted the party. I just provided some of the food, only to realize that she already shopped for the treats everyone wanted.
But I did make some food. And I know this about teen parties: You put out the platters of food, and then you retreat.
Sometimes, you engage, but never long enough to embarrass anyone. In this new world, parents are neither seen nor heard. How different from our preschool craft parties and elementary school sleepover parties where I held my audience captive with games and funny stories!
No longer. But the good news is, nobody needed me. And they cleaned up after themselves, so it’s like the whole thing never happened. I’m not exhausted by this party that happened. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t invited. It wasn’t my party.
So today, I’m happy for the party I didn’t host and didn’t attend. I’d even do it again next weekend.