Relax in Style and Comfort

• What: Luxury Parent Lounge
• When: Special occasions
• Why: Get kids to show some love
• Where: At home

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I wonder if we’re doing everything we can to raise our children right. The days when one sibling deliberately injures another one can leave me feeling dejected (or worse). And then my kids set up a Parent Lounge, and while I may not be convinced I’ve done everything correctly, at least it feels like I’ve gotten something right.  

What’s a Parent Lounge, you might ask? Well, sometimes our kids get the idea to treat us, their parents, to a full service lounge. They unfold our awesome reclining lounge chairs and set up shop, then invite us for drinks and snacks. Does that sound pretty enticing? It gets better. They take orders, and bring the goodies to our seats without us lifting a finger.

All bets may be off on what you get, but I consider those details. If they want to make something and bring it to me, I fully intend to enjoy whatever appears (even if I have to choke it down). This weekend, we got blessed with some sunshine, and my kids took full advantage. They set up a lounge in the yard, and even decorated it with all the blooms they could find. We sat soaking up sunshine while they brought us drinks on trays. (They had a brief skirmish over who would get to deliver the “fancy” drinks, but again, details.) We got beer in sugar rimmed plastic ware (because the real fancy glasses might break outside – maybe some of my messages have gotten through to them!) complete with toothpicks they decorated with tiny flowers.

Meanwhile, we even had some entertainment and prizes. My husband and I had to roll the dice to see who got lucky enough to wear the handmade one-of-a-kind flower necklace they had crafted. Then they happily brought us snacks and we all feasted together.

It was the best afternoon I’d had in ages. While my kids had done this once before, and that was pretty darn spectacular, this time proved even better. After the first time, I politely inquired who came up with the idea. Apparently, they read about it in one of their books, Oh Brother, Oh Sister. If you would also like to be pampered by your kids, I’d recommend getting a copy and making sure they read it as soon as possible. Maybe even leave a sticky note or two with some not-so-subtle hints in the back near the appropriate part.