My 8-year-old invited his 4 best friends for dinner. I sat at a separate table and watched them have fun independently.

• My son wanted to invite his four best friends for dinner at his favorite restaurant.
• I had parents drop off his friends at the restaurant, and my husband drove everyone home at the end.
• I watched them have fun and chat about things they wouldn't have if more parents were around.

When we started planning for my son's 8th birthday celebrations, he requested to invite four of his closest friends to his favorite restaurant.

Even though we are very close to his friends' parents — having taken trips together as families, and also just the adults without the kids — my husband and I thought it'd be more fun for the kids if we didn't invite the parents to come along this time.

Turns out, we were right. Seeing all the kids interact without their parents around was not only so fun, but also so special.

Kids behaved super well

My main concern was how my husband and I were going to handle seven kids (four guests, plus our three) in a restaurant by ourselves. Any parent knows that eating out with kids 9 and under can be challenging; between choosing meals that will keep everyone happy, being patient waiting for food, and handling potty breaks, there are many places where things can go very wrong.

That said, all the kids were so well behaved, and I think a main reason was because their own parents were not around. I always joke that my kids are so much better-behaved around teachers, babysitters, and other adults in their lives. Turns out it's not just my kids.

My son also chose a fun place to take his friends to: a hibachi restaurant. They were all so entertained with our cook tossing broccoli at them to catch mid-air, playing with water squirters, and seeing how their food was prepared.

They were all so independent

All the kids with us ranged in age from 5 to 9, and I was surprised by how independent they were. Even my youngest kids were following the oldest's cues and doing everything on their own.

After dinner, we took everyone out for ice cream, and my husband and I decided to sit at a separate table so they could have fun together — without us in the mix.

It was so special to see them have conversations amongst themselves, something that rarely happens during playdates or school days. They talked about sleepovers they had planned and trips with their families. I texted the moms joking that I was getting all the gossip from their kids, as they shared things like how one parent keeps forgetting to pack a toothbrush for sleepovers.

We loved giving the other parents a break

It wasn't just about the kids, though. Most of our friends here in Maine are parenting without family around, and help oftentimes comes with a price tag.

Beyond having fun with all the kids, my husband and I were also happy to give the other parents a break on a Friday night for them to either hang out with their other kids or take a date night with their spouse. We talked about how cool it'd be if we could make this a thing in our group, having one family take all the kids out for dinner one night.

As soon as we dropped everyone off at their homes, my kids were already talking about which restaurant we are going to next year. Clearly, my kids enjoyed it as much as I did.

The whole experience reminded me that boyhood doesn't need to be all about Nerf guns and organized sports. Boys can also enjoy time chatting with their friends over ice cream.