I am officially the coolest mom ever and all because of my son’s birthday party!

Okay, maybe the original idea came from a television show I should be ashamed I used to watch, but the whole Fear Factor thing is great for boys:  making a group of boys walk barefoot over horse manure and putting them through an agonizing “small motor skill” obstacle course blindfolded while receiving directions from one of their grunting peers.  Priceless! Add to that coercing them to eat gross things that actually cause them to gag!  This is a party that mom legends are made of.

Anyone can manage phase one and two listed above, but the third phase—the whole eating disgusting animal parts—how did I manage to do that without making them seriously ill?

The secret to pulling the whole thing off is the power of the mind.  Blindfold your victims (I mean party guests) and tell them you are about to give them a feast of items they would not normally eat, but that they must because you said so.  The idea is, if they are blindfolded and you tell them you are handing them a cow’s eyeball, a slippery, slimy canned potato feels like, and upon first bite tastes like, a cow eyeball! Add to it an older sister who is watching and squeals, “Gross, oh my gosh, Mom, don’t make them eat that—it’s disgusting” and you’ve got a winner!

I think you’ve got a visual now, right?

It really was so fun and hilarious to watch these boys squirm, gag and all around grapple with “Should I, or shouldn’t I?”

I should mention that at the beginning I reminded all of them that they knew me well, they knew they could trust me, I had their parents permission, I would never do anything to harm them and that was the only reason they should play along! And afterward we had a good discussion about dangerous things others might try to get them to do and how they need to be able to stand up against peer pressure. I think it was a hands-on lesson they’ll never forget.

Yes, I’m known for my fun parties and okay, maybe this one was over the top—but that whole “coolest mom ever” thing was pretty … well, cool!