Next gen Super Bowl party

 I, like many, spent my formative years either attending or hosting Super Bowl parties. It is one of the few events that can galvanize everyone, be it for the football, food, or commercials. But over time, other commitments started to crowd it out, and it seemed entirely more rewarding to watch the game from home with family so we can all enjoy it and still get some rest to prepare for the week to come. 

This year, with the game only a week away, my tiny warrior mentioned how excited he was to watch the game. I casually asked him, "would you like to host a Super Bowl party?" His mind was blown. He could actually ask all his friends to come over and watch the game together? Yes, yes you can.

It felt a bit chaotic, but over the course of the next few days we set up Evites, planned out a menu, and began the cleaning process. Oh, the cleaning process. It even involved throwing away a sofa, but that is for another post.

When 6PM Sunday night arrived, the boys and their dads began to pour in. It was like letting 10 pinballs loose inside a single machine. 

As kickoff approached, everyone grabbed a plate and drink and headed downstairs to watch the beginning of the game. While I tended to the pizza-making upstairs, I could hear the whoops and hollers as something good was obviously happening in the opening quarter. Every 20 minutes or so half the boys would sprint back upstairs, run around, grab more snacks, and then return to the basement. 

By midway through the 2nd quarter though, I think the boys had had their fill of football and now saw it as an opportunity to start a Nerf war in the house. The football cheers turned to battle strategies and foam head shots. By the time I made my way downstairs, all the boys were upstairs and only the adults were left to actually watch the game. "Just as I anticipated," I thought.

And of course, being a school night, everyone left at halftime because it was bedtime.

Overall, it was a great experience to let the boys get together, meet some of their parents, and have a fun night of fellowship. And on Monday, my little guy was the rock star of the classroom.

"Hey! That party was the best! You should do it again!" were the cries to his delighted ears. 

What charmed me the most though was when we were talking about it in the aftermath and I asked him if he'd ever like to do something like that again.

"Yeah, so, I sure hope they have another Super Bowl next year."