How to Make Play Date Planning Easier
In an exclusive excerpt from her new book, Rude Bitches Make Me Tired, humorist and New York Times bestselling author Celia Rivenbark explains how to take the drama out of play date planning so that it’s actually fun and easy for both moms and kids (crazy, right?!).
The following excerpt is taken from the new book, Rude Bitches Make Me Tired, by New York Times bestselling author and humorist Celia Rivenbark.
***
Face it: It’s easier to find Honey Boo Boo’s kin on the Mensa membership roll than to find a mom-friend who sees things exactly the way you do. Sure, we know plenty of playground moms we can share grapes and Goldfish crackers with, but true friends are harder to come by.
Rather, we are thrown together, yoga-pantsed soldiers on a brightly colored battlefield who bond only on one thing: Our children are the very best kids on earth. Hell, we feel sorry for all the rest. Tra-la-la!
Actually, I was just thinking about my kid when I said that. Yours are just okay. I mean, the whole endless snot thing that you refuse to acknowledge is a bit of a deal-breaker for lifelong bonds being forged. Criminy, get some antibiotics, would you?
See also: 5 Ways to Maintain Friendships During Motherhood
But every now and then, a true friendship will shine like a jewel in a goat’s ass, and you realize that this playground mom is going to be a Forever Friend. You’ll probably even take couple’s vacations together, your daughter might marry her son, oh! The possibilities are endless. And then she says it one day as you watch the future bridal couple play with the big yellow tic-tac-toe game painted on the side of the twisty slide: “Hey, you know I think Rush Limbaugh has some great ideas!”
And we’re done here. Juicy Juice is packed up, pretzels are resealed in their snack-size Ziplock bags, and we really have to wash our hair. You never liked her that much anyway. Oh, and the marriage is off!
It’s so hard to find the right mom friend from a pool of women who simply have kids the exact same age. Thank the sweet Lord above, I was lucky enough to find several, and fourteen years later, we still get together at least once a month for dinner, drinks, and catch-up. But there were so many more where the convo was forced, brittle even, as we discovered that, although our kids were crazy about one another, we just didn’t click.
It’s so hard to find the right mom friend from a pool of women who have kids the exact same age. I was lucky enough to find several, but there were so many more where the convo was forced, as we discovered that, we just didn’t click.
It took me quite a while to realize that I didn’t have to be BFFs with every other mom. There was no reason to assume that just because we’d given birth within 8 months of one another that we had anything else in common. Be prepared to attend a lot of birthday parties where your kids have a blast playing together while you watch with a big fake smile on your face. The important thing to remember during these forced social situations is that it’s not about the parents; it’s about the kids. Still, it would be ever so much more convenient if you wouldn’t be such an insufferable bitch most of the time.
See also: Do You Dislike the Parents of Your Child’s Friend?
You know what I hate? When another mom says, “Oh, call me for a play date with little Madeleine!” That puts the onus on me to call her. That also tells me she doesn’t really want a playdate but just wants to look like she does, am I right? Sadly, yes. No one should ever say “call me” about anything, because it’s automatically transferring the obligation to you, and that’s bad manners. The truth is, if she really wanted your kids to play together, she’d say: “Bring Tallulah over around four on Wednesday if that’s convenient. If not, what would be a good time?”
That’s a sincere invitation extended sincerely, complete with specifics and, yet, an allowance for the fact that it might not be a convenient time. Nicely done. Why is it just so hard for moms to make a plan sometimes?
I’d rather stay home with the kid watching Mexican soaps than deal with these indecisive weirdos. They may have been corporate bigwigs in their other lives, but now their brains are mush. To wit:
MOM 1: Oh, the kids should get together soon. What are y’all doing Tuesday afternoon? We’re going to go to Story Time at the library; want to join us?
MOM 2: Sounds great! We’ll meet you there!
MOM 1: Or we could meet for lunch a little earlier. How about that new Indian restaurant? They have a buffet, and the kids even like it.
MOM 2: Oh, I can’t. We have an appointment to get her baby sister’s ears pierced at Merle Norman that day at noon.
MOM 1: (silence)
MOM 2: You don’t approve, right? You think she’s too young, right?
MOM 1: Nonsense! I can hardly see the amniotic sac residue on her skin anymore. Whatever. Just the library, then.
MOM 2: Well, okay. Listen. I have to drop off some overdue books. Can you give me a few extra minutes to run home and pick ’em up?
MOM 1: Of course. Hey! How about I drive you to your house so you can get the books, and then we’ll ride together.
MOM 2: But will my car seats fit in your car?
MOM 1: Hmmm. I’ll call my mom and see if I can borrow her van. Gimme a minute…Okay, she says that’s fine but only if we bring her back something from McDonald’s.
MOM 2: Do we have time?
MOM 1: Sure. Just pick up a salad from the one at the food court when you’re at the mall and bring it to my mom’s house.
MOM 2: Oh, no! What about nap time? We forgot about nap time!
MOM 1: Right you are! Okay, get the salad at the mall after you get the baby’s ears pierced—don’t forget the spicy Asian dressing, ’cause she loves that—drive over to my mom’s house, switch your car seats into her van, and the kids can sleep on the way to your house to pick up the overdue books, and then we’ll go to the library.
Exhausted yet?
Moms muddy the water a lot by trying to think of everything and accommodate everyone. Nobody wins. Keep it simple: “We’re going to the library for Story Time after lunch and nap time. Join us if you can!”
Done. Ahhhhh.
***
Celia Rivenbark is the author of You Don’t Sweat Much for a Fat Girl; Belle Weather; Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like A Skank; We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier; Bless Your Heart, Tramp; and You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start In The Morning. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her newest book Rude Bitches Make Me Tired is available now.