It’s My Potty and I’ll Eat My Cake Like I Want To – Twenty-two

One of my greatest joys is kid birthday parties. As a child I hated them since I wasn’t part of any clique or trendy after-school troupe, but now I view them a bit differently. I’ve been blessed to be invited to the yearly engagements only by open-minded folks who have diverse interests and acquaintances. Translation: none of that couple/couple, “when are you going to have children”, my child walks on water kinds of soirees. No I leave those to the moms who have to endure just because of the social code of parenting – if invited to a party for your child’s friend/classmate/scout mate and such, you must attend. Excuses such as “We’ll be in New York that weekend on a culinary excursion” or “I planned on going to the Obama rally that weekend” just won’t do. But I am immune to those things since as a single woman with no children I carry the plague of what could have been and therefore a menace to motherhood.

Let me rephrase that. A menace to the Stepfordesque sensibilities of motherhood. There.

I only get invited to the cool kid parties. Like my recent afternoon at Leilani’s third year anniversary. It rocked. Not only is Leilani a little wonder, with a great set of lungs to wake the dead, but her brother Noah is one of the smartest kids I know. He is also very kind. They both are, they must get that from their parents. Being single and childless was actually a help in this case when Renee asked me to come over early, about 3 hours early, to help her with setting up. Not a problem. I was there with piñata in hand and ready to fill treat bags, set up the table and chat with some of the other early partiers. It was a nice mix of kids, moms, dads, singles and marrieds. There was also adult punch, which is a plus in my book.

Treated to a bouncy house, an exquisite cake from Chantilly Cakes and more presents than she knew what to do with, Leilani was the gracious three-year-old always being sweet with no meltdowns. In fact none of the kids fell apart, amazing. Neither did the adults.

It was also nice to meet new people and to get to know Noah and Leilani more. Renee and Patrick have such a diverse group of friends that there was no time to get bored or ignored as the children flocked in numbers to beat the crap out of the Backyardagains piñata or run through the house like a pack of wild dogs. That is not an overstatement. They actually reminded me of free canines as they went from one room to the other, stopping at the table to fill up on chips and cookies and then back outside to bounce and bounce and bounce. It definitely made those quiet moments that much more precious.

I really loved it and was so thrilled to be invited and even to be bestowed with the title Auntie. Now I am getting ready for Vivi’s birthday in a month and the totally different dynamic, yet still festive party.

I have to admit though that the best kid’s party I ever went to were ones thrown by Paul and Heidi. How many kid parties have a well-stocked bar, gourmet cheeses and desserts, sushi and the host dressed in a Devil Girl tee? I miss those shindigs. The kids had fun, the parents had fun, hell even the dogs had fun. What’s not to love.
In fact, each time I am invited to one of these markers, no matter who is throwing it (all my friends are cool) I long more and more to be Auntie Mame! Penthouse, Chanel, Martinis and all.