Playdate please

"Can I come play at Co by's house?" This is something I hear fairly often from the mouths of babes at his school. Sometimes I don't even know the babe, which can be a bit awkward.

Today, for example, a pretty little blonde one asked the question. It was after a wonderfully positive meeting with Son's 000 teacher and just after offering to take home said teacher's child who would otherwise be stuck at school till teacher/mom was finished with parent meetings. Of course when Madam Rachel Birthday Girl heard someone else was coming home with Son, she insisted she come too. I called Rachel's mom to get the okay, which was when blondy (I don't think I know her name) asked if she too could come. Today wouldn't work, I told her, but her mom was welcome to call me. She persisted, throwing "but you just phoned Rachel's mom" at me. Maybe she just wanted to get out of aftercare, maybe she likes to do what other kids are doing, maybe she genuinely wanted to come play at my son's house, but anywhichway it couldn't be today. I managed to get myself and my three passengers to the car eventually and drove off with Son singing loudly and trying out some of his favorite tricks with his side-kick Rach and a somewhat overwhelmed brand new audience member.

It's a tricky thing, this playdate politics. Like, whether or not Son wants anyone over, does that even come into the equation? I suppose when he was really off people, especially ones his age, if they weren't related, I did avoid arrangements. Now, fortunately for the hopeful school-mates and his socially encouraging mom, he is getting better at having people set loose in his worlds. Both the imaginary and real ones. So I divvy out entries here and there without really checking if it's okay. But believe me, he's just about 3 years old, he'll make it quite clear when it's NOT okay.

What I love is how these playdates have evolved into a ruckus which consumes the kids in play and story from one side of the house to the other, through the garden, to the vegetable patch, around the outside of the house, back inside, into the rocket tent, monsters under the duvet, cars down the ramp and then, inevitably, yogurt. By which time I've already written a blog!

Today it's mini donuts they're after, with candles in for Rachel's birthday, so excuse me while I go get my Yom Huledet Sameach on! xx