As I'm typing, I'm recovering from Mac's first ever "sleep" over. This was an 8th birthday perk, expertly negotiated by that wonder kid.  Here's the deal with birthdays in our house: Each kid gets to have a friend party every-other year on alternating years.  On your year, then, you can choose to actually have the party or take the buy-out. The buy-out is $150 cold hard cash that I will pay you to NOT have a birthday party.  It's totally worth it and almost always cheaper than having the party.

The kids discuss the pros and cons of the buy-out for months before the birthday, making lists and discussing what they'd do with one hundred and fifty buckaroos.  "But I still get a family party, right?" they'll ask as they scour Amazon for expensive sneakers and violent video games.  "Yes," I assure them, "you still get a family party."  Sorry, family - it's not about seeing you; it's about what you'll bring to the table that really matters. The kids will be happy to provide a list of helpful suggestions.

In any case, Mac wanted the buy-out this year, but he also wanted to have his very first sleepover with just one kid.  A nice kid, whose mom I like.  Deal, I said.  The evening went mostly well.  We went to The Angry Birds Movie, which was fine and, frankly, I didn't understand the white supremacy metaphor at all.  We turned the lights out at ten and then tried five different sleeping arrangements before I finally settled on the floor with Mac in his bedroom while his pal dozed on his bed.

Win-win-win.