From pretty much the age of two, birthday parties quickly become the social life your child needs and you as a suddenly shut-in parent crave. They provide an instant play date and social interaction for parent AND child. So it is understandable that your first reaction is to take offense when the time comes that your child is NOT invited to a party. I mean, how dare someone not invite my precious little muffin, right? There must be some mistake. I could see if they don’t like me. But don’t take it out on my child. What will she think? How will I explain it to her? How will we go on? Oh, the humanity.

My daughter and I  were in Murph’s Sport Shop one day earlier this month picking out her first baseball glove. A big moment for a dad, even if his daughter has a marginal interest in the sport at best. (She’s already very good at humoring me.) We ran into a boy and his mom that we know from day care. Three short weeks of Kindergarten has already made day care seem like a distant memory. After some small talk about the first week of Kindergarten, how both kids are adjusting to their new schools, and other typical catching-up chit-chat, it was time for her and her son to leave.

“So we’ll see you at so-and-so’s party on Saturday?” She asked.

“Uh…I don’t think so.” I said, puzzled. (Only because I, like most men in the relationship, am not in charge of the social calendar.)

I stuck with my gut, knowing I definitely didn’t remember my wife mentioning a party for so-and-so. Maybe. As you might have guessed, things immediately turned awkward.

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