Pretty Princesses All in a Row (Asheville photographer)

A few weeks ago, I experienced the most amazing thing…a calm, sweet, relaxing birthday party for a child under the age of 10. I know! Mind blown.

My niece was turning 5 and had a Frozen-inspired princess party at Sparkles, a Myrtle Beach store catering to all things girly and sparkly. As the mom of two boys, the companion to a male dog, and wife to a hairy man, I was super excited to attend something pink and frilly. I had no idea I’d be taken aback by how serene and orderly the party played out. Reminiscent of a boy birthday party? Not even close. At all.

The little girls arrived decked out in their prettiest princess outfits (mostly Elsa from Frozen) and get this…they followed instructions and quietly sat at the makeup table to await their turn for Sparkles hairdo and fingernail polish. I repeat…they sat quietly and chatted, on round stools that spun. (Moms of boys, getting nervous?) But not once did I hear someone belch OR pass gas OR hit their friend in the head OR spin wildly on the stool in an attempt to out-spin their buddy and knock the next three kids off the stools…something we know would occur in the first five minutes at a boy shindig. The girls waited. Politely.

After makeup was applied, hair was done and fingernails were sparkling, the princesses gathered on the miniature stage inside the store. They were handed “pretend” microphones to sing and perform. And get this…they used the microphones AS microphones! Again…mind blown. Pass out fake microphones at a boy’s birthday party and chaos occurs. One boy whacks his friend in the butt with the microphone; another screams as loud as he can into the microphone knowing full well it’s pretend; and one boy will always, ALWAYS dangle the microphone in front of his legs like it’s his…(Moms of boys, you know where I’m going with this.) And soon they’re all doing it.

By the end of the party, I wasn’t sweating profusely, heart racing, like I usually am after my son’s celebration. (His most recent party involved eight boys and 200 water balloons that lasted five minutes with a very messy fight for survival.) After my sweet niece’s party, I was happy, at ease, and singing “Let it Go” with a smile on my face. I wanted a shiny blue dress to wear with matching, blue, plastic pumps and white, lacy, socks underneath. I wanted shiny sprinkles on my fingernails and sparkles in my hair.

But it was time to go home to my house of busy boys. I reluctantly “Let it Go” to the candy-coated, sweet as pie, girl-world and readjusted for my foul-mouthed, rough and tumble little men.  I was glad to see them when I got home and thought, for a brief, BRIEF moment that maybe we COULD have a relaxing day full of princess songs and smiles. Then they sat on my lap and pooted on purpose and all hope was lost.