P.N.O.

It stands for "Parents' Night Out"...a night where the parents get to drop their kids off at the gym for 3 1/2 hours of mass pandemonium and head out for a night on the town or just a little peace and quiet at home. After tonight's experience, I can understand why each and every one of these parents needed a night out. Within the first 2 minutes of our first game, we had to give out 5 ice packs for fat lips, stubbed toes, and other sorts of boo boos. Then there were the kids who felt that they were above every rule. I'd say, "sit on the white line" and they'd make it a point to sit behind it. I'd say, "stay off the beams" and they'd make sure to get on them. If I had a dollar for every time I said, "if you can hear me clap once"...you get the picture.

Then there was the little girl from Russia who had some serious sensory issues. It took all of us just to make sure she wasn't running into something dangerous. Then was the kid who felt like she needed to touch you at all times, the little boy who followed me around all night telling me random bits of information like what kind of bugs he found in his backyard, and the sisters who bickered the whole time and then got mad when other kids told on them for fighting. And how could I forget? The drama queen that needed an ice pack every 5 minutes. There's also the kids who come up to you with some sob story every time you are picking someone to be "it" for a game. It seems as if all of the kids there have "never EVER gotten to be it EVER!!" Sad, sad story. Unfortunately, those don't faze me. We had the kids who went through 4 packs of crackers and several Dr. Peppers and kept asking if it was going to be snack time soon, the kids who were always asking what came next, the kids who hogged the trampoline saying "I haven't done five tricks yet!" after bouncing for 2 minutes, and the kids who wanted you to personally watch every turn that they took.

What a night.

Parents, I have one message for you: You got every penny's worth.