Play dates

I'm not quite sure if I understand the play date. Let me explain, or at least try to. A virtual stranger invites your child to their house for a couple hours to play with their child. You don't even have to take your kid to their house. When they pick up their kid from school, your kid goes home with them. Two or three hours later, you go and get your kid.

Am I the only one that finds this a bit weird? It's not like these people are neighbors or family. I don't know them. Maybe a quick hello or good-bye when we are dropping off the darlings at preschool. But that's it. For all I know, these people could be alcoholics or drug dealers and are only using their stay at home mom status as a disguise. Ok, probably not, but you never know.

So I have gotten suckered into this play date thing. Last year Samuel got invited to quite a few. I politely refused at first because frankly, I had no idea what the rules were. I made a few calls and got the scoop. If your kid gets asked over, you have to reciprocate within a couple of weeks. If you don't, you're known as a bad play date mom and your kid will not be asked over again. Your a super good play date mom if you not only take one kid to your house, but multiple kids. One mom last year took five kids from school to her house. She also had warm homemade cookies for the kids when they got there and they did a craft. She is probably the best play date mom ever.

Beside the whole maybe a drug dealer thing, here are my problems with play dates. My kid always comes back wanting a new house, new toys and a new mom. Last year, after he got back from one, Samuel asked me if he could call me Ms Rhonda. When I asked him why, he told me that she was the coolest mom ever. See, when you are the play date mom, you have to act like the perfect mom so these kids will go home and tell their moms what a cool mom so and so has. Then your status as a good play date mom goes up.

Samuel got asked for a play date Friday. When the mom told me what neighborhood they live in, I can guarantee you that Samuel will come home a little disappointed in our lack of material possessions. His little friend's playroom is probably the size of our downstairs.

I'll have to start planning the next play date at my house. I could get one of those jumpy things for our backyard, hire a clown, get a pony, a cotton candy machine, order pizza, do a cute Christmas craft and get some goody bags. Who's going to be super play date mom now?