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Pretty Princess Party
Dec. 5th, 2009 08:07 pmSparkle was invited to a party by one of her classmates at school, the first invitation from someone our family did not previously know. She was soooo excited about the pretty princess tea party, we heard about it every 15-20 minutes for the past two weeks.
The party was held at a manners and etiquette teaching tea shop. (I had not gleaned this from the party invitation.) While Sparkle had a lovely time, it was glaringly obvious that Sparkle was seriously "different" and not on the same social program as the rest of the girls from her class. This is not new information for me; I know it in my head, but it hit me pretty hard in my heart today as I watched events unfold and helped smooth things over.
I will say that Sparkle's table manners were completely up to par, even better than many of her peers, with the correct yes please, no thank you, and not right now - maybe later, phrases drilled into her around our family table. I would have felt better about this if it hadn't so clearly been a surprise to the party coordinator, who praised me for how well Sparkle did at the table. It seemed to underscore her unspoken disapproval for the ramming around Sparkle did during other party games.
After the party, we went over to a friend's house for social time while my DH slept, and I allowed myself a small cry over it. I feel a bit better, but still seem to be borrowing angst for the future when Sparkle herself becomes aware of her differences and longs to fit in better.
Still, the classmate had been given a limited number of girlfriends to invite for this party, and Sparkle was one of her choices.
The party was held at a manners and etiquette teaching tea shop. (I had not gleaned this from the party invitation.) While Sparkle had a lovely time, it was glaringly obvious that Sparkle was seriously "different" and not on the same social program as the rest of the girls from her class. This is not new information for me; I know it in my head, but it hit me pretty hard in my heart today as I watched events unfold and helped smooth things over.
I will say that Sparkle's table manners were completely up to par, even better than many of her peers, with the correct yes please, no thank you, and not right now - maybe later, phrases drilled into her around our family table. I would have felt better about this if it hadn't so clearly been a surprise to the party coordinator, who praised me for how well Sparkle did at the table. It seemed to underscore her unspoken disapproval for the ramming around Sparkle did during other party games.
After the party, we went over to a friend's house for social time while my DH slept, and I allowed myself a small cry over it. I feel a bit better, but still seem to be borrowing angst for the future when Sparkle herself becomes aware of her differences and longs to fit in better.
Still, the classmate had been given a limited number of girlfriends to invite for this party, and Sparkle was one of her choices.
