A Mommy Milestone... The Play Date

Wow. Someone actually left their kid with me... that was a very new experience for me. I don't think I've been responsible for someone else's kid in over 10 years at least, and at that time it was my ex-boyfriend's kids. Anyway, big-man decides to go out shopping for a new flat panel HDTV with a friend of his. Well his friend has a 3 1/2 year old son... anyway, he left his son with me while they went out. I was terrified lol!

Actually, when they left I didn't even know how old this kid was. I knew his name, that was it. I didn't know if he was potty trained or not, though I assumed he was - and very much hoped he was. I didn't know when he had last eaten, whether or not he had any allergies... oh man, was I nervous! Mostly I was scared that he was going to freak out and want someone who knew him and there would be no one around but me to deal with it.

The two boys quickly settled into playing together and had a great time. It didn't hurt that I basically imposed no rules lol, but give me a break here, I'm a first-time play-date-er.

Sidenote: Please disregard the state of my coffee table; I assume it's easier to just sand off the junk when my kid is older than to try and keep it free from stains, markers, spilled food and beverages etc. Besides, I like that the stains on the table offset the large quantity of play doh that is currently gluing the carpet fibers together beneath it.

Trucks, cooking utensils, duplo blocks and play doh... all were a hit. Then they got a little unruly and had a hard time sharing the coveted play doh machine that squirts out any number of noodle-like shapes. So I figured what better way to entertain two small boys than a couple of knives...

Okay, for those people who also worried about my parenting skills after reviewing my "Mama's Mean" video (some people worried that my son would try and drink anything out of a squirt bottle because I'd allowed him to suck on a water spray bottle once), I'll add a caveat: these are toddler knives and there's not a sharp edge to be found.

That said, I just read a great post on The Art of Manliness called "Quit Coddling Your Kids" and found Gever Tulley’s lecture on “5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kid Do", which suggests that letting your kids play with knives is a good thing.

Anyway... my first play date was a great experience. Little buddy didn't eat a thing, though he did accept a glass of juice during his stay. He turned down a couple of my suggestions to use the bathroom, but turns out he was wearing a pull-up, so no harm done. He was sad to leave, which I suppose suggests his afternoon didn't suck entirely... turns out his parents don't know any other people with kids his age as they're new to the area, so mini-man's first experience of having a friend over to play was a good one for both of them.

While over all the experience was positive, I am more certain than ever that I need to replace my 780 square foot apartment with a large house... preferably before the next play date.