Partying With Your Parents

When I was a kid, my parents always had a New Year's Eve party and all us kids would go to Grandma Peabody's house for a g rated party of our own. Grandma was wise enough to know that she had way more fun than those at the grown up party across town. She did everything she could think of to make it exciting and special. Soda was served in her crystal goblets and she let us help prepare a feast of finger foods on her fancy plates. Even the little ones managed to stay up till midnight with all the games she had us play. Those were special times with a special lady that all my cousins and I still cherish.

After I got married and came of age, Ron and I were included in Mom and Dad's shindig. Partying with your parents can get interesting as the lines blur into a more friendship type of relationship. One game they always played was leggy weggy. The guys would roll up their levis to their knee and sit in a circle. One at a time the ladies would get blindfolded and feel the guys calves trying to identify their man. Then they would reverse and the guys would try to find their gal. Innocent fun!

When it was my turn to find Ron's leg, I was sure it was going to be easy to find him. He was a hurdler and ran all the time, so I figured he would have great muscles easy to identify. After feeling a few calves, I was sure I had my man. So I rubbed the leg I held and announced that this was definitely Ron's. As they removed my blindfold, my dad patted me on the head and smiled as I knelt there holding his leg. Too funny! So I learned that my dad was pretty fit too that night.

Last night, our adult kids were here talking about their upcoming New Year's Eve party tonight and they actually invited us old folks. We shared some of the old games my parents used to play. Maybe we will see some old fashioned fun return tonight. Wonder whose leg will remind me of Ron's tonight. Will I be looking up to my son's smile if I think his calf is his dad's?

The joy for me is when kids are old enough to belief that parents are people too and can be fun to be around. We won't stay long tonight but must stop by to enjoy just being included.

In Him,
Joyful
12-31-2010