I did a teeny-tiny bit of research and this is what I discovered.
Wikipedia says - "A play date or playdate is an arranged appointment for children to get together for a few hours to play.
Playdates have become the standard for children of many western cultures because the work schedules for busy parents, along with media warnings about leaving children unattended, prevent the kind of play that children of other generations participated in. Playdates are also arranged by destinations that feature child-friendly programs like museums, parks or playgrounds.
The intention of a playdate is to give children time to interact freely in a less structured environment than other planned activities might provide. Playdates are different from organized activities or scheduled sports, because they are not usually structured.
Playdates are becoming part of the vernacular of popular culture and form a part of children’s "down time." Most parents prefer children to use these hours to form friendships by playing with other children either one-on-one or within small groups. When children are very young, most parents stay for the playdate and use the time to form their own friendships and parental alliances."
Babycenter.com gives a guide to great playdates including hiding favorite toys, offering choices, and being firm about clean-up. Most of the stuff on the list goes above and beyond what mothers of previous generations did when their children got together to play. In fact, reading this list may provide more stress than the average mom can handle.
Parents.com has an article titled Nice Kids, Rude Parents: Does Your Playdate Etiquette Need a Makeover? Helpful, but typically most rude parents don't know that they're the rude ones.
Then there's the anonymous mom who has started a blog where she writes about all the bad playdates she's been on including: "a clearly anorexic mother who lives vicariously through her daughter by forcing her to eat several brownies and cupcakes in one sitting" and "the mother who straps her child into a time-out chair … for the entire 2-hour playdate" and "the mother who invites me to a playdate to rake leaves". Wow, crazy.
When I was getting ready for a playdate last Friday, I struggled with how am I supposed to look? When I was young and single and I went out with my girl friends we would all dress up or look cute in some way. Even when I was married, pre-kids, and I was out with other women, we would all be 'fixed up'. But, is this the same for playdates? I wear a ponytail so often that I don't even know what my 'hair style' is or if I even have one. I have pants and shirts and dresses and boots, but do I even have 'outfits' anymore? or accessories? So I ended up with my hair down and somewhat styled and even wore a bracelet - wow! I'm stylin'! And I got there and all the other moms had some kind of ponytail or bun. No one looked they were trying to impress, like when we were young and single and, let's face it, skinnier. They were just there to a) get out of the house, b) let there kids 'get some socialization', c) have a free lunch (the hosting mom ordered in - score!), d) chat with other moms, and e) avoid housework.
My first few playdates have fared well and I hope for the best in the future - but this is a world of real moms and real kids and nothing is ever like the movies.
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