Thirteen

My oldest nephew turned 13 the beginning of June, and due to school, baseball schedules, etc. his birthday party ended up happening while I was back home. That meant Aunt Meg got to help out with the party -- 15 twelve to thirteen year kids, a pool, and hot tub. Needless to say, I wasn't sure I could handle it! I also found out why all moms need a weekend away with the girls and a bunch of cocktails every so often.

This is what 13 look like!

Actually, the kids were really good overall. Our biggest battle was reminding them not to do any flips off the diving board. And watching them was actually an interesting sociology lesson.

Teenagers are interesting creatures. They're full of hormones that make them do crazy things at times, like talk back to their parents in ways they've never done before. If you're a mom used to hugs and kisses from a pre-teen boy, expect them to stop as soon as he becomes a full-fledged teenager (totally not cool to like your mom that much).

Although it IS cool to be taller than your Mom...

 And while kids at this age start getting interested in the opposite sex, they still have no idea how to interact with each other.

At the beginning, it was almost like two separate parties were happening -- one for the girls and one for the boys. If the girls were in the pool, the boys were in the got tub. Once one of the girls got brave and headed over to see what the boys were doing, one by one they headed to the pool and the girls took over the hot tub. It was at least an hour before they all ended up in the pool at the same time!

The other thing I learned is that teenage boys and girls DO NOT EAT TOGETHER. They were at separate tables the entire time -- at least until the s'mores came out and they all had to gather around the fire pit.

 Will was a trooper in spite of having a broken wrist that made swimming impossible. His Dad managed to find a solution to at least let him get in the hot tub, although it wasn't all that comfortable for the poor kid. As if being 13 isn't hard enough!

But Will is a good sport about most things, so he hung in there. His friends were also VERY generous with their birthday gifts, and he ended up with quite a wad of cash and gift certificates!

In the end, everyone had a great time, plus no one got hurt or grounded (at least that I could tell) and Aunt Meg survived. And when you're a teenager, that's a successful party!