On the way home from school, my daughter is overheard saying “and when the teacher left the room, she passed out her birthday party invitations and I didn’t get one.”  It was like a mist rolling in and I was transported back in time.  I clearly remember the day a certain girl loudly said who was invited to her birthday party, and how much fun they were going to have.  When I looked at her, she said I wasn’t invited.  We are talking about elementary school.  This is not junior high or high school, nope.  We are talking age 8, the same as my daughter.  Now, many of you might not watch Parenthood, so you might not have seen the episode where Kristina flips out because her son Max wasn’t invited to a birthday party.  As I watched that episode, I thought to myself, why is she making such a big deal about this?  She is stalking the parent to get her son invited to a party.  Wow, what kind of issues did she go through as a child?  However, near the end of the show, she demonstrates how completely willing she is to make a fool of herself just so that her child can fit in and make friends.  All of this flashes through my head as I listen to my child continue her story that yet another girl invited some of the class to a party, but not all.  She ends by saying “I don’t think they like me.” What do you mean they don’t like you?  Of course they do.  Maybe their parents don’t know the rule.  “What rule?” she asks.  The one where you invite the whole class or no one at all.  There.  I said it.  So now there is a rule.  As soon as I get in the door, I type an e-mail to her teacher declaring that there must be a rule like this in place.  I am sure of it.  As usual, I can’t just stop there.  I also add that these parents must be younger than me and not understand proper etiquette if they are allowing their children to pass out invitations to certain students and not all.  Now, maybe you are on the outside of this looking at me the same way I was looking at Kristina from Parenthood and you are wondering why I am so mad.  Well, one of these delightful little girls got invited to my child’s party as well.  Sigh.  I will end by saying this:

“There is still no cure for the common birthday.” ~John Glenn

I wrote this after coming home from a birthday party.  Where almost all of the parents were pleasant to me.

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