Birthday Party Blues

We have an indoor pool here on the island called the Aquatic Center. It’s super cool with a big pool, lazy river, rope swings, slides and a jacuzzi.  My Zeta’s favorite thing to do in the entire world is swim. So you can imagine her delight at the proximately of such a fun place to swim. She begs me or her father to take her there about every other day. (Of course we’ve only taken her once because that’s the kind of parents we are. Getting in the pool with 100 kids and their parents doesn’t really appeal to us).

For about 3 months now Zeta has been talking about what she would like to do for her birthday. Her birthday is next month. Any time she brings up her party she asks to have it at the aquatic center. I ignored her until last week because her birthday was just too far away to think about and I had about a million on other more pressing things on my mind.  While we were in San Diego I was trying to chat up the idea of a party at home. I told her we could go with a mermaid theme and have a slip n slide and all sorts of fun things.  She would pretend to consider it and then say she really, really, really wanted her party at the aquatic center.

So we get home and I get on the computer to see just how much a party at the pool will set me back and exactly what kind of a pain in my ass this is going to be. I was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn’t pricey at all, in fact it’s about $100 less than the parties I paid for her and her sister at My Gym in San Diego.  She’ll get a cabana for an hour and two hours of swimming with a special game for her guests. Also? They provide the cake, ice cream, plates, etc, etc!! Wow. So I booked that baby immediately.

As you can imagine, I was feeling pretty good about myself as a mom. Thinking how thrilled Zeta would be to be getting the party she really wanted. I was giddy imagining how happy she was going to be when I told her. I pictured her throwing her arms around my neck and telling me I’m the best mama in the whole universe! You see where this is going don’t you?

That little ingrate just stood there when I told her. I said, “Zeta, I thought you’d be happy! I thought you’d be excited!” To which she replied quietly, “I am happy.” Upon further questioning (OK, demeaning and berating) she told me, “Well, I don’t know where I want my party but I DON”T want it at the Aquatic Center.” ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? I miraculously stayed calm. Probably because I was in complete shock. Seriously.

So I finally get her over that shit and she’s happy if not ecstatic to be having her party at the pool. (It helped telling her there would be paddle boats).  Then it’s on to the next thing. Who will be invited. What goes in the goody bag and does she get to choose who goes in the paddle boats? What a freaking princess.