Friends and Birthdays

Goodness, I'm delinquent. All I got today is a newsy blog.

Tonight is my daughter's birthday party. Her birthday was last Saturday but we're celebrating with a sleepover/bowling party tonight. All the girls are here (six total, nine to ten year olds) and they're sitting in the living room, "talking." I'm eavesdropping, of course, and feeling happy and kind of melancholy at the same time. She's growing up, which is a good thing, and I love the fact that she can have girls over and just sit and chat. But they're still so innocent and good. I know in a matter of years they'll be teenagers, and all that will change. I don't want them to get angry and confused! Why can't they stay sweet?

One girl is recounting a story about her "step-aunt" who walked her to the door just now. Said aunt has blue hair and a snooty attitude. The girl is telling about how her mom is taking the aunt, who is 15, to a concert tonight for kids aged 18 and older, but that the mom is going to accompany her so she can go. All I heard was "She is in this goth club, and can only wear black and white, so my mom is going with her." It makes me wonder what they're all exposed to at their own homes. Hearing bits and pieces of their stories makes me see how comparatively normal our freaky family situation really is.

Birthday party, part II: We just got back from bowling. I was worried about taking them all out bowling, cause it seemed like it was going to be unmanageable and crazy, but it was really fun. One of Rosie's neighborhood friends, who didn't know any of the other girls at the party cause she goes to a different school, was sad because she had never bowled before and wasn't doing well. She looked like she was about to cry. A bunch of the other girls came up to me saying "{Name of girl} is so sad! What can we do to make her feel better?" It was touching, cause I somehow expect them to not care.

Anyhoo, bowling was successfully bowled, cheeseburgers and fries were consumed, and presents were opened. Now we're settling into sleeping bags in the living room to watch a movie. After 30 minutes of negotiations, no movie has been agreed upon yet. How is it that in everything in life, the smallest things cause the biggest snags?