I love going out with other couples for a good night out.  We eat, we drink, we share stories.  Here?s a doozy from the other night.  My initial shock was tempered by the lesson I learned upon mulling their story over the next day.

Forgive me, some of the details of my friends? story might be a little fuzzy because I stuck my fingers in my ears and was screaming, ?La la la, I can?t hear you.?

My friends were visiting New York with their two adorable children, precocious 8- year-old -girl, and delicious 5-year-old boy.  They took them everywhere around the city.  Wonderful museum exhibits, the Empire State Building, the huge Toys-R-Us in Times Square.  Biking through the city, visiting Central Park.

You get the gist, these are some great parents!  Culture mixed with kid fun. So one day, while taking a charming stroll downtown, these parents stumble upon a sex shop like no other.  As they describe it, it was a Sex Shop modeled after the sleekness of an Apple Store.  Through the window they see a streamlined display of products, with meticulously organized white pristine counters.  They decide they will take turns going into this sex shop, aptly named, Babeland.  One parent will wait outside with the kids while the other one will take a look.  Kind of like that child swap section of amusement park rides.  So first, Dad goes in.  8-year-old girl, extremely intelligent, wants to know why she can?t go in.  ?Because you have to be twenty-one to go in this store.?  ?Why??  ?Just because, it?s the rule.?  ?But why, what?s in there??  ?Why can?t I see??  My good friend can?t come up with a reason, and considering she had told her years ago the meaning of Rihanna?s song, S&M, she finally said, ?Because it?s a sex shop, that?s why.?

At the exact same time, Daddy exits Babeland with a large unmarked shopping bag.  ?Who wants to go to Dylan?s Candy Bar?? he asks.

And this is how everyone in the family was able to get their sweets for the day.  And this is just one way mommies and daddies can still stay husband and wife.

My friends did explain at our dinner, with the aid of sugar packets, exactly how their product works, and we have decided our kids need more culture and should really see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and tour the rest of the city.

(photo courtesy of orlandoinformer.com)