When being the "cool" parent isn't so cool

Even before I had kids I knew that I wanted to be the "cool" parent.

My children would be the envy of all of their friends, what with a hip mom and dad that were down with all the latest fads and fashions and able to hang with the best of them.

And for the most part hubby and I have lived up to that. There's a reason TomGirl's BFF told her "your stepmom and dad are so cool". We were the only parents that started an impromptu volleyball game in the parking lot between actual games - running and diving for balls like olympians.

Because that is how we roll, hubby and I.

One particularly hot day I was out running errands when I got a call from hubby.

"Can you bring some change when you get home ?" he asked
"Sure, but why?" I asked
"The kids set up a lemonade stand and I don't have any change."

"Oh, ok,no problem" I said making sure to get a few quarters so that I could support our local business. As I pulled in to my driveway my kids came running along with a few of the neighbor kids.

"You wanna buy some lemondade?" they all shouted in unison. I purchased two glasses and set them aside as the first sip taught me that the sugar content was more then I could bear.

Ana a little 8 year old neighbor girl decided she'd wanted to have another drink stand.
"Um do you have some extra milk and some spoons ?" she asked as she talked my daughter J in to doing the stand with her.

"Sure" I said and produced the items. She and my daughter made some concoction and then asked me to purchase one which I did. Moments later Ana was asking if I wanted more.

"Uh no thanks" I said and busied myself with trying to inflate the
pool I'd purchased for the kids to play in.

Once Ana saw what I was doing she ran to get her swimsuit. When she came back she had her two brothers Chance and Stephen in tow. Chance wanted to play she said but he didn't have a swimsuit.I let him borrow some of my son's trunks.

Later when I brought a snack out for the kids, Chance finished his and decided he needed more. "Um we didn't have any breakfast" Ana spoke up.

"You didn't?" I asked knowing it was probably about 12:00 at that point.

"No our Daddy didn't fix anything for us" she said.

"Ok," I relented and went back in to the house for another bag. When I reappeared with the crackers there stood Stephen saying "I didn't get mine".

Before I could say anything Chance and Ana were asking for more. I suggested they head home and remind their Dad they hadn't had breakfast.

"But we can't" they whined "He's doing his work and we can't interrupt."

"Huh" I muttered and tried to ignore their cries for more. It went on like that for longer then I care to mention with this motley crew asking for everything in my kitchen when I'd finally had enough. I told them B & J needed to come in.

"Whew" I said to hubby. "That's nuts" I said "the manners on those kids."

Those kids the ones I thought I wanted to be down with. The ones that knock on my door every evening as soon as I arrive home wanting to chat with me and my kids about absolutely nothing, refusing to take subtle cues like "Ok we've got to go now I need to fix dinner"

Some nights,it's all I can do not to slam the door in their faces. Two nights ago Stephen came over and asked me if I wanted to buy some magazines. Mind you school is out and he had no order form resembling anything legitimate. He merely had a few very old National Geographics that he was thumbing through.

That took the cake. These kids don't think we're cool. They think we're suckers . Bump that, I thought and promptly kicked him off my porch and slammed the door in his 10 year old face for added effect.

The nerve!

Ok, not really

Uh, but I sure did think about it.