...instead of accompanying 3.0 on her play date.
1. Get my teeth cleaned.
2. Clean my home.
3. Clean someone else's home (depending on the filth factor.)
4. Organize a closet.
5. Organize my food storage.
6. Clean out the kids' art cabinet.
7. Babysit.
8. Take the kids to the beach alone.
9. Clean my carpets.
10. Clean out my car.
11. Clean out the fridge.
12. Call the VT Supervisors and find out why I have no reports, yet this month.
13. Call all the sisters who are struggling and check in on them.
14. Ask the missionaries if they visited the folks I asked them to, and see what they had to say.
15. Steam clean the dining room carpet the dog keeps tinkling on.
16. Speaking of dogs - get them groomed.
17. And pooper scoop the back yard.
18. Weed the flower beds.
19. Paint 1.o's furniture like I promised.
Ohhhh - I could go on and on.
I'm coming to a realization. I just don't love going on play dates for the kids anymore. I am tired of trying to make 3.0 play with other kids when she really just wants to be left alone. I am tired of racing around a park in the 100 degree heat, when usually, I just take my kids, read my book, and go to a land far, far away in my head. I am tired of encouraging 3.0 to be nice when she really wants to shriek. I am tired of disciplining my kid in front of someone I don't know well and then having to make explanations about her crazy behavior. I am tired of keeping a conversation going with someone who is, essentially, a stranger to me, when I have about 3,000 other things to do and I know my kid does NOT want to be here. I am tired of convincing 1.0 and 2.0 that they could indeed get along at the "little kid park" for a couple of hours and not be so self-absorbed.
I fear I've gotten old.
I love meeting new people. But I am tired of play dates. From here on out, I might just say, "Let's go to dinner, OK? Please don't make me make my kid play with yours. PLEASE!"
With my big girls, I realized early on that play groups were not for me. I didn't like the chaos and inevitable fighting, or the tears, and cajoling kids into sharing. Now with 3.0, I have come to the realization that play dates aren't a ton different. The whole time we're "playing" I'm thinking of the slide show I want to be working on for my friend, the gal who is 16 and preggers that I am trying to contact, all the phone calls I need to return (including one to the dance teacher - whatever could THAT be about?), how I am going to get 3.0 to talk more.....my ADD totally kicks in and I can't relax and enjoy the play date.
Park play dates leave me feeling like a referee, a child psychologist, and a sidewalk food vendor all rolled into one.
I really HAVE gotten old, haven't I? I am weak and small-minded and unkind. Sadly, it would appear, in my old age, I have developed issues, my friends....whodda thunk? And the worst part of all of this is knowing I will NOT really skip out on kids' play dates because I want them to grow and learn and have to share and have some friends.
sigh
