You know what I mean. It's one the unwritten rules of parenting: a play at ours in exchange for a play at yours. Free childcare with a trusted friend, preferably when you really need it.
Of course I am exaggerating a bit here. Mothers don't really keep a scorecard with ticks on it. No, it's much more subtle and complicated than that. It's all in our heads. Or not, as in my case. I suffer from a severe case of mummy rot and have lost ten percent of my brain cells with the birth of each child (I have three children). I can't keep track of it all.
These favours are especially important to career mums and mums that work at home. I can remember one (working) mum frantically asking children over after school on a day that she was home, to rack up her points. She was completely upfront about it (I love this mum).
Continue reading "Do you keep score?" »
When I was little and was bored with my four brothers and sisters – I would disappear next door to play with my best friend. We would practice endless baton routines with The Carpenters Mr Postman Please blaring in the background on a record player. I had an open invitation and my mother always knew where to find me.
Today, playing with your best friend is more formal. We fit in “playdates” between swimming, football and French. The spontaneity is gone. I know one mother who has playdates booked months in advance. She's a working mum and pencils in our daughter's name between items like "Ian's review" and "ops meeting".
If you are new to the wonderful world of arranging your child’s extracurricular play time, here are the unwritten rules.
Continue reading "Playdate etiquette – the unwritten rules" »
