Sparkly Dinner Dates

There are telling signs of parents with little children. You see the dazed look as they wander through the grocery store. You notice the dark circles under the eyes from lack of sleep. There are more wrinkles not just in the clothes but on faces as well. Amid the various kid friendly items of toys, cereals, and juice boxes are recovery items like energy drinks, stain removers, and hair dye.

What is the biggest sign of parents with young children you ask? It is showing up for a special occasion dinner with a glittery goat sticker still firmly attached to the belly area of your shirt. You are unaware of any abnormalities but you see the unusual looks other guests are giving you, the disapproving smirk of the hostess, but it isn’t until another parent chuckling points out your creative styling choice for the evening that you realize your children have stamped you like a cattle brand before leaving the house.

Isn’t it bad enough that you are cutting everyone’s meat into bite size chunks? Or that your natural conversation seems to dwell on the fashion statements of fuzzy monsters on Sesame Street. Is it that unrealistic to hope that you can disguise yourself as an ordinary adult with no children just for one evening?

The truth is you will always be able to pick out the parents of young children in a crowd. They may be a little more wrinkled, a little more tired, and a little less fashion forward but they are the ones with a distinctive glow because they have a special corsage for their date night that happens to be in the form of a sparkly goat sticker.