pondering playgroup

When I became a stay-at-home mom, I quickly found that I needed to learn a new language, complete with acronyms like SAHM. Two years in, I'm still having difficulty speaking like a native, since I still feel like a suburban tool every time I utter the word playdate. Ugh. Don't get me wrong-- I LOVE sitting and chatting with other moms while our children tear up the house and take turns throwing tantrums. It's not the concept of a playdate, just the term itself that makes me feel like I'm carrying around a Weekly Planner for each of my children. "We should set up a playdate!" just sounds a bit too formal for me when in essence what I really mean is, "Could you please help keep my child entertained for a few hours by letting her talk incessantly at your child instead?"

That being said, I'm still seeking out those playdates, and I've even gone so far as initiating a weekly playgroup at a new playground right down the road from our house. Yup, playgroup is another one of those terms that makes me feel like I'm trying a little too hard. My selfish motivation for putting the idea out there was so that we could have a weekly time where other children would be around and we wouldn't have to walk too far to be at it. A Friday morning playtime, lunch and still home by naptime. That makes it easier for Mommy to hold onto the last shreds of her sanity at the end of week.

I can't imagine this comes as any sort of amazing revelation to any other SAHMs or SAHDs (are we just SAHParents or SAHCaregivers or SAHBoobookissers,Bookreaders,andGeneralPeopleInCharge?)-- but I'm pretty sure that the playdates and playgroups are really just for us. We put the PLAY first in the term to give the appearance of it being "all about the kids," but really, who do we think we're fooling? Sure, I want Red and Pudge to have some social interactions with children other than each other, and these little gatherings do allow for that, but the person benefiting the most from any social interacting is ME. Me who longs for adult company and conversation by 11 am most days. Me who loves her children dearly but wants to discuss something other than Clifford's latest adventures, the innumerable merits of playdough or the bowel movements of the day.

Sound selfish? Yeah, probably. But when your work day begins as soon as the kids open their eyes and doesn't finish until they close them again when the sun goes down, I think a little selfishness can be excused. Anyone up for a *gulp* playdate?

Playing away the days,