A topic that has created a little bit of confusion this year. Can you believe that the issue of playing at a friend or having them play at your house can be such a huge decision.
Caley (my Madam Fluff) is my little social butterfly and the play date requests start almost as soon as I have picked her up at school, seriously, there are times where she is asking me to go to so-n-so's house before I even get a hello Mom. Every single day it is somebody new and because she is at a new school, naturally I don't even know half of the people, which brings me to my first debacle. How can I just allow her to go to somebody's house when I have no idea who the parents are, where they live and what standards of dicipline or lack there of they show in their homes, and of course not to mention the obvious that is every parents' nightmare. (Remember I am the "uptight, overbearing, overprotective", so I am told mom). When I try to explian to Madam Fluff that I don't know the people, she doesn't seem to grasp what I am saying, which is understandable for a four and a half year old. I could explain it until the cows come home but all she hears is NO and then the tears, screaming, kicking etc etc begins, of course I stick to my guns because in my rule book a NO is always a NO. I am quite happy for the kids to come to our house but then that brings me to my next issue; Kade and his homework and of course his *love* of homework.
Kade gets homework everyday bar Fridays, so I thought it would be easy enough to just make a rule that friends and play dates can happen on a Friday. This wasn't as easy a decision as I previously anticipated; picture all three kids bringing a friend home on a Friday afternoon, I guess while some mother's could probably handle it, I found it a little overwhelming having 6 kids running around, literally wrecking the place.
Thankfully my little snuggle bug Connor, doesn't talk yet and still has an afternoon nap so he hasn't started on the whole play date thing. At his school he has a play day every morning with all his buds.
Should I let Madam Fluff play where and when ever she wants, considering the fact that she doesn't have to do homework yet. Or should I stick to a once a week day that would hopefully suit the other parents as well (after I have had them thoroughly background checked by the CIA, FBI and IRS first of course).
If anybody has a stead fast play date rule that works for you, I would love it if you would share it.
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2 comments:
WHAT? We are supposed to leave our precious little darlings at someone's house without us????
Maybe when they are like SIXTEEN or something.
Ja, this parenting thing is incredibly complicated. I don't think I would send my children to someone's house who I didn't know. But what do I know, I am a paranoid, over protective, anal mother myself ;-)
Hi! This could have been me writing this blog! You would know...ek sit met die selfde probleem...hiehie..Caley het tot eendag vir my gesê.."You always say next week.." and that was so true, 'cause I can't keep up any more.
Een baie belangrike ding wat ek die jaar geleer het, is om "nee" te sê. Wanneer 'n vriendin vra om te kom kuier, en ek weet dit gaan die dag bietjie hectic maak vir my, dan sê ek maar net ongelukkig "nee". Die raad wat ek kan gee, is om jou dagboek saam met jou rond te ry, en afsprake vooruit te maak....selfs playdates ook....en ja, daar kan 'n hewige geskree en geskop met dit gepaard gaan! Ek het aan Cailin verduidelik dat hy nou "groot" is, en dat hy nou die verantwoordelikheid het om huiswerk te doen in die middae. Hy verstaan dit (min of meer) ..maar ek dink nie daar kan vaste reëls in ons geval (3 kids) wees nie. Ek kyk op 'n Maandag hoeveel huiswerk hy gaan hê vir die week, en volgens dit kan mens nogal goed bepaal en beplan wat moontlik is.
One thing that totally freeks me out is people who have swimming pools with no nets on. Can't understand it, and will never! What do they think?
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