Hi I’m Jasmine (Jessica’s daughter). I’m 12-years-old and love to write, draw, read, and, of course, have friends over.
My mom has been writing for the Chattanooga Moms Blog for over five years and she recently asked me if I wanted to contribute. As soon as she asked, I knew just what my topic was going to be!
5 Things Moms Should And Shouldn’t Do When Friends Come Over!
Jessica (my mom) is the kindest person I know, but we all have our faults. Hers is embarrassment. Like literally, today my mom and my brother called one of my AWESOME guyfriends, Billy Bob Boggerdson the III (names changed to protect identities) my “little boyfriend.” In front of this cool 19-year-old with piercings and tattoos that lives in our basement. I seriously started to feel lightheaded.
So to help other parents not make the same mistakes, here are some pointers so your own tween and teens don’t die of embarrassment.
1. DON’T call it a playdate
One of the worst things you can do is call it a “playdate.” We LOVE to think of ourselves as big kids. When you call it something meant for toddlers, you ruin the vibe and make us seem small not only to ourselves, but to our friends too.
2. DO order pizza, snacks, and drinks before they get here
When my friends get to my house, they are famished. They want all the food from the pantry to the freezer. I know sometimes you just want to see what everyone wants, but it takes so long for orders to get here or to go somewhere to shop. They are hungry on arrival. I know you just want to know what they want, but it’s embarrassing when everyone is scouring the house and you haven’t even logged into Doordash.
TIP: make sure you don’t do it too early or it will be cold/warm (wink).
3. DON’T apologize about the house being messy
When your kid’s friends walk in, they could not care less about the state of your house. They are not first-class inspectors for DCS. They came to see your young’n; they are not worried about the dust bunnies in the corners of your room. Even if your family photo is cracked or the walls are decorated with scribbles of kindergarten art, you’re fine. If you apologize too much, it makes you seem like you have major anxiety or are uncool.
4. DO have things for your honorary and real kids to do
We get super duper bored, FAST!!! And we will not try to pull through it like you when you’re on a Zoom call with that manager. We burn through activities quickly, often two or three before the other parents have pulled out of the driveway. Even new video games have a one hour max, unless the friend group are video game addicts and are obsessed. We need a variety. Having nothing to do is so not cool.
5. DO keep the nicknames, affections, and baby stories locked
The WORST things you can do is to call your child their cutie little nickname, share their baby stories, or kiss, hug, play with their hair, hold hands, etc. That actually makes your whole bloodline super uncool. If you commit this crime, your kid is seen as a baby from that point on. There’s no coming back from that.
In conclusion, follow the rules above if you don’t want to be that mom. Even though I just took all my time writing this, I know for sure I will break all 5 Things Moms Should And Shouldn’t Do When Friends Come Over when I grow up. But I hope my kid still loves me as much as I love my mom, even though she has done every single one of the things and I have died from embarrassment more than once.
 shouldn't do when friends come over, featuring pizza tips, embarrassment warnings, and plenty of tween wisdom.){kind=link}