The Birthday Party
Dear Frankie,
There are fourteen of us who hang around together at the dog park. What’s great about our group is that we can break into two teams and play baseball or touch football. Another advantage is that there is always someone to play with, even when a few dogs don’t show up because they are sick, traveling, or take a day off.
My birthday is a few weeks away, and my mom said I could invite nine guests to my party. I reminded her there were fourteen friends in my dog park group. She said she understood but didn’t have a pan to bake a meatloaf cake for fourteen or fourteen bowls for the bone broth shakes. She also reminded me that only ten chairs could fit around the dining room table.
I asked if we could go to a restaurant, and she said she had to be careful with money because of the economic uncertainty and rumors about layoffs where she worked.
How can I tell five good friends they are not invited to my party?
Bandit
Dear Bandit,
You won’t need to tell your friends anything if you have your party at the dog park. That will take care of the chair issue.
Mention to the group that you are short on bowls for the party and ask if anyone could lend you five for the day. Five bowls should be a slam dunk for a group of fourteen.
Explain the size of your mom’s meatloaf pan and tell them to expect their meatloaf cake slice to be more like a snack than lunch. Then, talk up the games and races you have planned. You might even ask them for suggestions.
Then, casually slip in that everyone knows that the games and races are the best part of any party.
Best, Frankie
© 2025 Geneva Woodruff
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