If I seem a bit less than my usual perky self today, it's because it's Sunday evening and I'm still a bit weary from the weekend — thanks to my abbreviated sleep schedule resulting from an eighth-grade post-graduation bash held from midnight to 6 a.m. at Mountasia Family Fun Center in North Richland Hills.
Before I go any further, let me shoehorn in a shout-out to the person who thought that such a farewell fete was a good idea …
WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?
So here's the deal: Party was a “lockout,” which essentially meant that a whole herd of 14-year-olds (and chaperones, of course) burned the midnight oil driving go-karts, riding bumper boats, playing video games, eating pizza and drinking copious amounts of sugared and caffeinated beverages that gave them the vim and vigor they needed to party hearty until the crack of dawn.
My role in all of this?: I simply had to shuttle my son out there on Saturday night and then pick him up on Sunday morning. No biggie, right? (Despite the fact that late-night Saturday night traffic consists of some of the dumbest drivers on earth and that Sunday morning presented some pretty scary thunderstorms that made navigating the gazillion highways I had to traverse quite frightening.) I'm a healthy, tough chick who has no problem powering through just about any obstacle that life throws my way. I'm about as determined as they come. I don't shy away from challenges. In fact, I welcome them with open (and pretty darn strong) arms. I know this. You know this. We are in agreement.
But I'll tell you what, guys: Despite my mad skills, when I'm robbed of my precious 40 winks, I'm, well, a big wimp.
Thankfully, though, I sneaked in a little extra sleep on Sunday. And you know what? I'm glad I did it. I'm happy that I was able to ensure that my son got to enjoy his last middle school hurrah before he starts ninth grade in the fall. He, of course, had a blast spending hours in a safe, fun place doing safe, fun stuff with his pals, some of whom he's known since kindergarten. So what if I missed out on some slumber time? So what if I had to snake my way through confusingly marked, re-routed streets that even my iPhone maps app didn't always recognize (certainly not the first time that's happened, though). I was simply doing my job: being a mom to a smart, nice kid who made some cool memories and got to stay up way later than he's ever stayed up before.
That's what we parents do.
(Now you'll have to excuse me; I've seriously got to get some sleep!)
