I just kept laughing and laughing. I know I sounded like a hen cackling over her eggs. Everything my son said was hysterically funny so I hee-d and haw-ed until my sides hurt. People at the other tables were staring.

On a normal day there wouldn't have been a problem ... a semi-normal family having a quaint supper and enjoying each other's company. But this was a very un-normal day: I was meeting my daughter's boyfriend, Jeremy, for the first time!

We met at Buffalo Wild Wings (my son's choice). That was clearly our first mistake. Thirty televisions blasted various sporting events until our glasses rattled. My beloved has already lost most of his hearing due to extremely loud 70's music (i.e. Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, etc.). The screaming TV's garbled every word that was said-even before the boyfriend entered.

I was having a little internal conflict at the other end of the table. For the second time in a month I was meeting a dater of one of my kids! How can I be at this place in life? I asked my self again.

After much anticipation, they entered the restaurant. Dun, dun, dun. (That's the scary music.) Our girl was smiling ear to ear, with her eyes as big as saucers. Was she nervous, too?

As they approached our table I tried to decide whether I liked him or not. (He didn't look like any serial killers I'd seen.) He spoke politely and smiled when we were introduced. We had to yell our 'hellos' over the sporting events on the 30 TV's. I was at the opposite end of the table and could barely hear, too. My daughter's young man was very quiet and he seemed a bit nervous, but he kept on smiling. It was downhill from there.

When I am at the table with my kids, it turns into slap stick. One remark starts like a pinball game. We pounce on it and it snowballs. Sarcasm is not a spiritual gift but all three of us have been blessed with it. We're not mean-usually. We joke and poke fun at each other talking 90 miles an hour. It absolutely drives my husband crazy. He usually ends up putting his hands over his ears saying, "Stop it! Stop it!"

I wish I could tell you that we all behaved wonderfully at BW's, but I'd be lying. Tension makes me worse by the way.

I regret to inform you that we turned into the Three Stooges. We kept laughing and I think it was getting louder. Everything we said was ridiculously funny to the others and it kept going like the Energizer Bunny. Meanwhile, Emmanuel (our Haitian exchange student) was taking photos every three seconds to commemorate the event. He wanted all of us to look at each picture he took. The camera's flash went off continuously. We cracked up!

My kids hate being photographed, by the way, unless it's for Facebook. They had hands up in every picture. You'd think they were in the Witness Protection Program.

Our food came so we all settled down for a bit. There was small talk, but it was mostly sucked into the sounds of the blaring televisions.

On the way home, I knew I had screwed up. First impressions are lasting impressions I've always heard. Not so good for me. My husband had already met Jeremy. It was my time to shine! You certainly couldn't say "saving the best for last".

My daughter has told me so many wonderful things about her guy. He is very sweet, she says, and kind and such a gentleman. He is good to her so that scores points with me. I really do want to get to know him better.

There's only one problem ... I'm pretty sure he thought we were freaks.