Elena does not appreciate how important a girl’s sweet sixteen is, not even after my parents decided that this party would be honoring her as well. I understand why they did that. When we first started planning it, they didn’t know they would have a second daughter turning sixteen in the same year. It was too late (and probably too expensive) to pull together a second event only a few months later. She probably wouldn’t have even wanted her own party anyway. She definitely doesn’t want to be involved in this one, but my mom insisted that she be included. So my sweet sixteen became our sweet sixteen.