Friday Night at the Movies

The question sounded innocent enough but was a loaded one from Jordan: “Mom, can I go to the movies tonight?”

Jordan and her friends wanted to see “Soul Surfer” without an adult chaperone. To our first-hand knowledge, we knew it was okay with her best friend’s parents, but were unsure which other girls would be meeting them at the 7:00 p.m. show.

After lengthy discussion, Jim and I agreed Jordan and her bestie could go to the movies and meet their friends, while Jamie and I would prowl the mall and spend some quality time together.

It felt strange from the moment I pulled up to the theater entrance and entered this bizarre and new world: Friday night at the mall. Tweens were streaming from minivans and waving over their shoulders as they dashed through the doors away from parental view.

After reviewing pickup instructions, Jordan gave me a peck on the cheek and off went the dynamic duo, giggling and running through the rain with the masses.

While Jamie and I cruised the mall, I was definitely skewing the age curve along with a few other out-of-place parents. We browsed, snacked on pretzels and brownies and had a great time catching up on a week’s worth of news. As 8:30 drew near, we made our way to the food court and the designated pickup spot.

Gaggles of tweens were everywhere – five to fifteen to a group, the smaller groups either all-boy or all-girl and acting goofy and obnoxious; larger groups being co-ed and acting relatively mature, polite and laid back, munching on sushi or sharing multiple dessert plates.

There was too much of a din to overhear any of the conversations, but facial expressions and body language ensured it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out who was talking about whom. Cell phones and I-pods were strewn across tabletops everywhere, and based on the volume of bags hanging over the backs of chairs, adults everywhere should buy stock in Bath and Body Works, Aeropostale and Zumiez.

Within ten minutes we spotted the BFFs, toting a large drink and bucket of popcorn the size of Jordan’s head and still laughing. As we left the food court the tweens began to disperse, heading to different lines at the movie theater for the second or third part of their evening.

“That was the best movie ever!” Jordan exclaimed before we even reached her. “It was so touching I almost cried at the end.” We made our way through the mall as the stores were closing their doors for the day, other tweens leaving for the evening with their parents as well.

One step further from tween, Jordan is fast approaching her teen years and all the experiences and responsibilities that go along with them. So far, we crossed the first major hurdle with grace, and we can only pray those that follow will be just as easy.