Feb 8, 2016 3 min read

I had the pleasure of attending a baby shower for the soon-to-be-arriving granddaughter of a girl I have known forever. My friend and I are about the same age, and I know what you’re thinking: I am FAR too young to be entering the grandma age bracket. We both, however, began our families at young ages, and at least on paper, our kids are old enough to be doing the same.

The food was delicious, the games were fun and, of course, there were lots of gifts and hugs for the mom and dad to be. One of the games asked the couple questions about parenting, and we got a good chuckle when they guessed they would only need a hundred or so diapers for the first year. I can only imagine if I was that clueless when my oldest arrived. Thankfully, they have a strong support network that will help them figure it all out.

Perhaps the cutest thing – or at least my favorite – was we all wrote on the outside of newborn diapers, so for the first week or two, well-wishes and advice will literally be plastered on the baby’s bottom. It’s the closest thing to a handbook.

I forgot how cute baby things are. Some of her gifts included lots of teeny-tiny clothes, diapers the size of a piece of toast and a bathtub that perhaps, on a good day, my right calf might fit into. Everything was miniature, it seemed. I guess I’ve also forgotten how small babies are.

During a lull in the games, another girlfriend’s son began to get a little bored with the festivities. He persuaded his mom to play several rounds of tic-tac-toe with him before she turned her attention back to the merriment. After some unsuccessful attempts to re-engage her, he turned to his dad and asked him to play.

The dad decided to teach his son how to play hangman instead. He drew the gallows and carefully selected a puzzle for his boy to solve. Being new to the game, it took him a few seconds to get the hang of how it works. But soon enough, he was guessing letters with some success.

Moments later he was down to needing one letter to win. The two-word puzzle read, “S-T-A-R blank A-R-S.” Still somewhat unsure of how to win, the little boy guessed the letter E (which would have made the puzzle read “Star Ears.”) For reasons unbeknownst to me, both his dad and I found this extremely amusing. We both began laughing and then high-fived about our excessive amusement. Or, at least, tried to high five.

Something about inexplicably laughing so hard that you are crying and squinting makes high fiving harder than it should ever be. Suffice it to say, we missed. This sent his wife into giggles, and she simultaneously informed us we are both dorks. And the entire time, the poor boy is sitting there, unsure of what the heck is so funny.

Finally, we composed ourselves and the game went on. Fortunately, he guessed correctly on his next turn. He avoided hanging, and we avoided looking like dorks twice in five minutes. Although, if I’m telling the truth, I make a fool of myself so often I don’t even notice half the time.

Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.