Attack of the 6-Year-Old Ninjas!!

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve blogged. Life has taken a sudden turn towards insanity. Spring is always a busy time, especially with boys; mostly because baseball starts but we also celebrate two birthdays in March and May. Throw Easter in the mix, some papers to be written, exams, etc. and you have serious chaos.
Despite this being the busy time of year, I decided to throw my youngest a party last Friday. Chuckie Cheese and those “jump” places get very pricey so we decided to save a little money and throw a sleepover instead.
Insanity at it’s finest! I really didn’t think it would be a big deal. We threw my eight year old a slumber party last year. Only four boys showed up and they were really good. Nice boys. Played some football in the yard, ate pizza, played video games, slept. Fun!
However, it was a much different ballgame when it came to the six year olds. Plus all of the boys we invited showed up. Noise levels rising as they trickled in. I should have known it would be trouble when some of the parents I didn’t even know shoved their boys over the threshold of my door…and ran. Unbeknownst to me, Pandemonium and Anarchy were the party themes. I planned every detail down to the last minute but lost control in the first hour. (I’m a teacher. How could this happen?) Light sabers and Nerf Guns were the weaponry of choice for “Attack of the Six Year Old Ninjas” which played for hours in my basement. Some Ninjas even brought their own light sabers. You can never be certain when a battle may flare up. I feared for the big screen television and our two little kitties. I feared for myself. A beer was my only line of defense (for me…not the kids.)
When it came time to eat, I was actually relieved to see that my own boys are not the only ones who eat with no regard to food on the face or clothing. Most boys eat like cavemen and I think pizza sauce on their shirt and face is a mark of status. This must be so because when told they have food on their face, a boy will make little to no effort to remove it. Even other boys will not mention an obvious disregard for cleanliness.
At one point in the night, we received a phone call and only knew the last name of the caller. When I quizzed the boys about their last names, I got one boy who had no idea what his last name was. I pray he never gets lost! Another boy called my husband “Dude.” I wonder what he calls his teacher! It was funny until my husband, Scott, started calling him “Dude” too. The boy looked at Scott as if he had been severely disrespected and announced, “My name is Joey!”
Since the boys were young, I set them up with their sleeping bags and pillows at 11:00 and the final partier passed out at 1:00am. I was jolted awake around 6:30 am by the sounds of wildebeests migrating through the African Plains. (No wait! That was my dream!) I was imagining small boys running, jumping over the furniture, jumping over each other, to make their way to the donuts in the basement, Light Sabers and Nerf Guns in hand.
Luckily, for me, I had class and had to leave at around 8:30. I called Scott to make sure all the boys were picked up. I was uncertain if they would all be claimed at the end of the party! But, he had no time to rest. Our families were coming over to celebrate at 3:00. Toilets needed to be cleaned!