Let's Bring the Parent Party Back

Recently, my husband and I were discussing the awesomeness of the old-school house party. You know, the kind you probably went to regularly in your 20s. Lots of friends, free cocktails (with no bartender's attention to attract), a feeling of comfort and ease, because, hey, you were just at your buddy's house, so why not let down your hair? And, in my opinion, the best part was they were usually thrown for absolutely no reason at all than to just have a good time. Sure, a holiday or birthday or new job was sometimes listed as the reason for the festivities, but mostly these parties were just about having good old-fashioned fun, and everyone knew it and behaved accordingly.

Well, times have obviously changed. We, like most of our friends, now have small kids to factor into every weekend's plans, and most of the parties we attend are centered around a toddler's birthday. The booze is usually nonexistent, and after two hours, most of the guests are somewhere between a total meltdown and a sugar overdose. Party over. In short (and most of the guests are), these events can be "fun," just not really for Mom and Dad.

The other most common kind of social engagement in my current life is the playdate, typically consisting of multiple small children and their moms, who spend most of the time attempting to have a linear conversation while also dealing with the endless needs of their children. This combination works beautifully, about five percent of the time. Again, these events can be "fun," but they usually take place during the day (i.e. no alcoholic beverages) and, depending on the kids' moods and moms' personalities, have an equal chance of being a complete disaster.

So this weekend, we're making an attempt to bring back the kind of party we remember so fondly from our younger days, only this time we're adding in kids . . . lots of them. They'll most definitely outnumber our adult guests, and I've stocked up on as many juice boxes as adult beverages. In what I think is probably the most genius move of the event, I've hired three babysitters, who are set to plan games and man the bouncy house while hopefully giving the parents a minute or two to remember how they partied before they were called by their real names more than "Sam's mom" or "Mae's dad."

I get why this kind of party isn't a regular occurrence in our lives right now: it's a lot of work. This is not the party prep of our 20s, which usually involved buying a ton of beer and a bag of chips. My husband and I actually had to hire a babysitter for a few hours last weekend so that we had time to get our house and yard ready, all the while knowing that our kids will probably destroy much of our hard work long before our first guest arrives. We've made multiple shopping lists and had to plan when we'll have time to get each list purchased. If it rains, I might cry, mainly at the thought of 20-plus kids stuck inside my house. And while none of this preparty prep is enjoyable by any stretch of the imagination, at the end of the day, I think it's worth it.

Why? Because I'm hoping it will start a trend. Fingers crossed, all the work that we've done for this party will mean that, first everyone has a great time (and I'm talking mostly about the parents, but I'm sure the kids will have a blast too), and second, that our friends will someday follow suit and have house parties of their own.

Today, a friend of mine was trying to drag her 5-year-old daughter out of my house after one of our many playdates, finally telling her that leaving was OK because they'd see us again this weekend at our party. "Why are you having a party?" her daughter asked me. "Just for fun," I replied. She gave me a confused look for a second, then nodded. No matter how old you are, sometimes fun is all the reason you need.