The Katie Chronicles: Party Like it’s 1998 Edition

As I’ve gotten older, I find I care less and less about being cool.  Having kids and general adult life fills my brain with so much to keep up with that there’s no room left to worry about what’s cool.  And I’m OK with that.  In fact, sometimes I revel in it.  Jerome and I have a couple of holiday parties to attend this week, and last night Katie asked me before we left what we would be doing at the party we were going to. I told her we’d be eating a nice dinner and talking.  She looked at me like I’d sprouted snakes for hair and said, “I thought you said it was a party.”  I assured her that it was actually a party but she continued to look at me skeptically.  I asked her what she thought a party was and she said, “Playing games, dancing, having fun!”  I told her that sitting around, talking, and eating is how adults have fun.  She said, “Really?”  Yes, really.  Then she gave me the old “OK, if you say so Mom but whatever” look that parents know so well.  So yes, I’ve fully arrived in the Land of the Uncool and I’m fine with that.  Dancing and games sound exhausting, anyway.    #DontRaiseTheRoof #ThisPartyIsOnTheHook

The Katie Chronicles: Persuasion Edition

Katie and her best friend go to the same after school care but they don't go to the same school. They have an intensely close friendship in only the way that elementary school girls seem to have. So weekend play date requests are common, as are sleepover requests, but we often can't say yes to the sleepover requests. We usually don't allow her to be away when Ethan is here because we don't see him every weekend and we also have the normal amount of commitments at church, Girl Scouts, and so on. As a result, Katie knows she sometimes has a steep hill to climb on the way to yes, so she's grown more sophisticated with her requests lately. Here's how Saturday's request went. "Mommy, you've been away all week and I know you and Daddy haven't had much time to spend together. I thought I'd go to Isabella's for a sleepover so you guys can have some quality time together. How does that sound?" I think it sounds like my 9 year old has a future in marketing, law, politics, hostage negotiation....or anything else that requires her to persuade others to do what she wants.