Red flag alert. Red flag alert. When your 11-year old tells you that her friends like having sleepover parties at your house, the alarms should go off in your head.

Chloe told us that her friends wish they could have their sleepover parties at our house because “we’re cool.”

Why are we cool? Because we don’t check up on the girls when they’re making mischief. Indeed, at Chloe’s last birthday party, Papa wanted to see what they were up to when we heard the ruckus in the kitchen. But I told him not to go and physically restrained him from heading downstairs.

Which I guess makes me the “cool” parent. And translated into adult-speak, I think that also makes me a bad and neglectful parent. ‘Cause if the kids think you’re cool, their parents probably would disagree!

Despite my hesitation about embracing the “cool” parent label, I will admit that for a few seconds after learning about our reputation, I felt at least 10 years younger. It was a good feeling while it lasted.