Rea's birthday is right after Christmas. She turned 7 this year. I cannot believe that. It seems like only yesterday she was displacing my ribs. Because I felt bad for last year's disastrous illnesses and stuff, I gave in and decided to go all out for her birthday this year. She had a birthday party that literally lasted Friday through Monday. Friday was a sleepover with three friends. Saturday we had lunch at her favorite pizza place, saw a matinée (Into the Woods - AWESOME), finished off the night at dinner with my family. Sunday Rea flew to Orlando with my parents for a shopping trip and back. Monday we hosted a BBQ at our house with Shane's family.
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| Birthday selfie at school - classroom celebration |
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| Birthday selfie at school - classroom celebration |
We borrowed a bounce house from our church for all of the birthday party fun. But about 2 minutes after Wendy and I set it up on Friday, it rained. Until Monday morning. Blah. Shane and Scotty drained it on Monday. Even though it was wet, it was functional and the kids and cousins could jump.
So after nearly a week of partying and hours that day of being outside playing, chatting, eating and watching kiddos, we had all basically moved inside. From in the kitchen, we noticed a little girl following Aunt Sue around. I couldn't tell who it was... We only know one family on our street, and this child didn't look like she had the right kind of hair to be Rea's little neighbor friend.
I went out to investigate.
I could NEVER have guessed what I'd be walking up on.
The child, who I had NEVER seen before was crying hysterically in my front lawn. I don't mean little crying. I mean full blown screaming crying. I thought something was seriously wrong... like she was lost, or maybe her family was brutally murdered and she needed help (that's how crazy she was).
So I asked. Is everything ok? Sweetie, what's wrong? Are you lost?
She SCREAMED at me that she was upset she wasn't invited to our party. I kid you not. Screamed. Hysterics. Crying like a maniac.
I was totally stunned by this. I cocked my head to the side. And said "who are you? We don't know you."
It was so insane that I don't remember how the whole thing went down. I will never forget her screaming that she saw the bounce house in our backyard and wanted to bounce in it. She did not like that she wasn't invited to do so. She apparently must have said something to one of our kids, because she told me they told her they were all done and going inside (I bet they thought she was cray-cray too, although not a single child has said anything to me about it). She yelled at me that the kids went inside and she wasn't included and didn't like that.
I asked her again if she was lost. Because I swear on my life I have never, prior to that day, seen this kid. She said no she wasn't lost. She pointed to her house. Awesome, she's close. The people pleaser in me was trying to reason with her, but finally I just walked away. We closed the garage and all went inside. The guys went right out back and deflated the bounce house.
So now that's it's been a few days... I still can't stop laughing when I think about it. It was so bizarre. But it makes me really question parents these days.
Is it really socially accepted to just let your 7 year olds run around neighborhoods without any supervision? It seems that that's the case in our 'hood. Maybe it's cause we are a LEO family, but I don't even let mine play outside without me watching. And they certainly are not allowed to GO TO A STRANGER'S HOUSE without me! Are you kidding me?
** I'll be posting some photos of "Rea's Week of Birthday Fun" on our family site - in the "Say Cheese" page
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