Jumping Through Hoops

A week or so back we managed to have A’s best friend over for a sleepover, and it was quite the three-ring circus just to make it happen. There were complications on top of complications, and the date kept getting pushed back farther and farther to the point where I felt like we should have just dropped the whole ordeal. A, however, will not be denied, and we continued to hash out a plan.

One big complication is that her friend’s parents are divorced, and each parent has a new set of mates, so there is the issue of who is in possession of the kids, and what their feelings are about the sleepover. Another complication is that each parent doesn’t necessarily approach parenting in the same manner, and in trying placate one set, you stand to alienate another. There are also some behavior issues, but I won’t go into that.

The final piece of the puzzle was that N is buddies with said friend’s brother, so he wanted to have him over, as well. We had done this in the past, having both kids over, and it was fun. They’re great kids, I really like both of them, and it’s fun for them to hang over. This was not, however, to be part of the plan. For reasons that elude me, there was a strong inclination for the kids to be separated. We kept suggesting that we’d like both kids over, but it was met with quiet disinclination, if that’s even a word. It was a little baffling, compounded by the fact that neither side would just come out and say what they wanted.

In the end, the plan was spelled out to us. She would come to us, and N would go them. It worked out fine, N had expressed a desire to go over there, and A was stoked to have her buddy over. All’s well that ends well, right?

Well, sort of. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Andre Hagenbruch for the pic.