friends Archives - The Common Mom

November 27, 2013 · 3 Comments

We’re moving to a new town next month so you can imagine what life is like right now for us. Boxes and bubble wrap. It’s a mess but we’ve been truly blessed with new opportunities.

Our new town is about three hours away and we don’t know a soul there. Well, until just a couple of weeks ago that is. Now we know Maddie.

My daughter had a Friday off from school so we took the opportunity to visit her new school, turn in all the registration paperwork and hopefully meet her new teacher and classmates. It was a spur of the moment decision to drive up there instead of mailing everything but we thought we might luck out and get to meet some folks.

We were lucky and met her teacher who couldn’t have been kinder or more generous with her time considering we showed up practically unannounced. My daughter’s future classmates were excited she was a girl since there are currently twelve boys and only seven girls in the class. That’s right – only twenty students in the class. This should make for an interesting dynamic.

Fast forward to later that evening while making the obligatory trip to Walmart to purchase groceries and a new Blu-ray player. Because when you move it seems you spend most of your time at either Walmart or Home Depot. While I was trying to decide between Blu-ray and Apple TV I felt a little person poke me in the arm. “Are you the lady that’s moving to our school with a daughter?” Insert shocked look here.

This is how we met Maddie. She remembered us from our five minute visit to her classroom earlier that day and wanted to tell us she can’t wait for mini-me to start in January. She was shopping with her grandmother for Christmas presents in the video games section and happened to see us. It took everything I had not to try and schedule six months of play dates right then and there.

I can’t tell you how thankful I am to know that my daughter is going to land in a classroom with someone like Maddie. I know she’s not the one other girl in the class that’s in the gifted program and I can only hope that she’s harboring a Minecraft addiction but honestly – I don’t care. She’s nice. She remembered us. She’s excited to be friends with my daughter. I think I love her.

Moving is never easy on anyone but at least my husband and I have done it before and know we’ll make friends in our new hometown. Trying to convince my daughter of that has been tough and that’s an understatement.

Maddie gave her (and me) a glimmer of hope that all will be better than just ok. And to think it happened in electronics department at Walmart.

This Thanksgiving I give thanks for Maddie.

First Play Date Rules

I should’ve known my daughter was a rule follower when she had her first play date.

We had just moved to a new neighborhood and there was a little boy her age next door. Soon, my three-year old daughter invited him over for a play date. I have to admit I was more excited than she was. We’d had two major moves in the past two years and she hadn’t made many friends so this was a big day.

The little boy showed up for the play date and was ready for fun. He seemed like an old hand at this. My daughter said “Just a minute,” and ran off. I’m used to this and didn’t think anything of it until she came back with a pad of paper and pen and asked that I write down the rules for the play date.

What??

I’ve since learned that there are parents out there who do have set play date rules and maybe that’s a good thing. But this was our first one so I just said “Be nice.” That sounded simple enough for any three-year old to comprehend and comply with, right?

Not my kid. I had to write it down on her pad of paper along with what rooms they could go in, and what time the play date would end.

The play date in fact ended early when all she wanted to do was read books to her new friend. And at that time she was very deep into a princess stage. Imagine it – a three-year old boy sitting quietly while a little girl reads all about Ariel’s latest antics to him. That child had a patient temperament that exceeded his years, but come on. I love her more than life and I couldn’t bear one more princess story.

Happily, their friendship survived that awkward first play date and they hang out all the time now. They’re both seven years-old and have learned how to accept each other as they are. He tries to teach her how to pop wheelies on her bike and she tells him all about Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. It works for them.

What’s your experience been with play dates?