Faux Pas

I have committed a social faux pas. I double booked 2 events for the same evening. Having 2 calendars is working...notsomuch... But because one of the events was a kids' sleepover birthday, I felt it was vital to send big kid-even though it was certainly not first on the calendar. Which meant that I had to call our first commitment (ok, I made Mr B do it...hey-I was teaching! k?) and let them know big kid would not be there at our pre-scheduled potluck-although the rest of us would. Turns out the dinner got cancelled. Because big kid was a no-show. That's how important big kid is. His appearance was critical. Ours? notsomuch. I tell you what-the power of the first born is unbelievable. Entire family units revolve around their life and commitments. The calendar bends to their will. The checkbook opens spontaneously. Our job? We squire him around while tossing money over his head. Boy-sure would be nice, huh???

So Mr B decides to take the rest of us out for a joyride as our social event for the evening (because spending time in a minivan is something we need to do more of). So to make the best of it, I make him drive me past ___________'s house. I've been wanting to see where she lives for awhile. Which justifies my point that she ain't no better than anybody else-another blog for another day. So Mr B turns to 'lil brother and says to him, "Hey, chief! You're cruising at midnight!" And 'lil brother gets really worked up. "Dis is only de third time I've been up to midnight!" And we assure him-the fun's not over yet. He's gonna get 30 more minutes! Big round of high-fives follow that announcement. Folks, it was 7:48. Lil brother was down by 8:30; I was in the bed by 9:30; and Mr B followed by 10.

So today when 'lil brother brags to big kid that he got to stay up til midnight and big kid starts shrieking that he NEVER got to do that when he was that age-I'm gonna sniff-and say, "Yup, that's how we roll when you're away."