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Who is that dancer up on a platform? It's The Boy!

My husband and I have this favorite club we like to go to on Friday nights if we get a night out. While I was browsing its web site looking for advance tickets to a show, I noticed something curious: "Shorty's Dance Party."

I had heard of "Baby Loves Disco" - basically, a dance party at a club on a weekend day for kids - and Shorty's is the same concept. Put on some non-offensive music, fence off the bar, and let the little ones loose for a few hours!

When I told the kids about it, The Girl immediately said yes. The Boy said he would go along, but he wouldn't dance. "Boys don't dance, Mom," he informed me.

I tried to persuade him otherwise. "Daddy dances, and your friend James and his dad dance, too," I told him. We planned to bring along our friends, whose two kids are the same ages and genders as ours.

He just said, "Well, *I* don't dance."

I figured, whatever! He'll come with the whole family and we'll just see what happens.

The Girl and her friend each dressed for the occasion, in long, flowy, twirly dresses. The boys were casual - in fact, it wasn't until I looked at the pictures that I realized my son wasn't in clean pants!

When we arrived, gender stereotypes took over. The girls not only got on the dance floor right away, they jumped up on the stage and started showing off their twirls. The boys ran upstairs to a balcony where they could lean over and look cool.

But eventually, the boys started venturing downstairs. I tried to grab my son a few times and force him to dance; I also sang along with the music. Oh, and I danced and generally made a fool of myself, all in an attempt to embarrass The Boy. But I think he knew that it would only embarrass myself (that is, if I cared) - he rolled his eyes at me and ran away with his friend.

The club had the main room open for dancing, and a side room for crafts and dress-up. When the girls wandered into the crafts area, I followed. Not 10 minutes later, my husband comes in. "Jessica, you've got to see this!" he exclaimed.

I seriously had no idea what it could be. So I got up and went back into the main room.

There, up on a platform, was my son. DANCING. And not just nodding to the beat - he was jumping around, hitting his hands on his legs, bouncing, tapping his feet - really moving!

I guess his friend James convinced him that dancing actually was cool. And I think the added fun of jumping from the platform - three feet or so off the ground - onto the floor was enough to put him over the edge and just let go.

"I thought you said boys don't dance," I teased.

He ignored me, of course, and continued to dance. And I got it all on video.

I can't wait until his first homecoming dance, when I pull this out to show his date. This parenting thing is just getting more and more fun!

But seriously, the party was a blast, for the kids as well as the adults. We stayed right up until the last minute, and all four kids were disappointed when it was time to go. Here in Seattle, I know of two clubs doing kids' dance parties, and there are also "Baby Loves Disco" programs in many cities in the United States, including Boston, New York, Denver, Houston, Scottsdale, and a whole bunch in California.

So even if you haven't seen the inside of a club since you've had kids, it's time to go back. So much fun!