Just One of Those Nights

“We didn’t realize we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun.”

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I’ve been trying really hard to give the boys more space and more freedom as they are 15 now and quarantine has been a bugger on them. I set some boundaries in that I get 3 questions before they leave: (1) Where are you going? (2) Who are you going to be with? (3) What time will you be home?

While they are out, I try not to call or text them unless it’s been a while and then I will send them a quick “everything ok” message. Last week, G. went out to meet up with some friends. He called me while he was out to say they were just hanging out at a park and that he was getting a ride home from his buddy’s dad (who I know very well). When he walked through the door, he had the biggest smile on his face and said that he had one of the best nights of his life. 

Now if you know teenagers, you know that they often speak in superlatives. “This is the worst day ever” or “I’m the only one of all of my friends who doesn’t get to go”. So I took his declaration of having the best day of his life with a grain of salt. I asked him what made it so great and his response was “I don’t even know. We didn’t do anything special but we all just had so much fun.” They made Tik Toks, they sent some Snaps, they laughed and joked, and just spent time together, all the things they’ve likely been missing during this crazy time. 

And I can relate to that. Have you ever had a big party or night out planned and there’s so much hype leading up to it and then the night rolls around and it doesn’t necessarily live up to your inflated expectations? No? Well, good for you 🙂 I have. Maybe you’ve bought a new outfit and got a fresh new ‘do. For me, some of the best nights of my life (not to be dramatic) are the ones that were completely unplanned. There was no time to build up these huge expectations or get in my own head about them. No special outfit was purchased, no lashes were applied. It was just me and whoever I was with, spending time together and being in the moment. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m the type of person who needs to have a few things on the calendar so that I feel like I’ve got fun stuff to look forward to. Just as an example, we had friends over a couple of weeks for the first time since pre-COVID and even though it was a planned night, it was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.But the best nights, the most unexpectedly fun ones, are the ones that have involved little to no planning and have no pressure or build up attached to them. And those are the ones you don’t want to end.

And so, my boy, I’m glad you had one of the best nights of your young life so far. Trust your mama when she tells you there will be many more of those.