The other day we had a playdate at our house.
Actually, on Monday the Princess asked if her friend (YC) could come home with us. To play. After school?
Well, I called YC's mom up that day and found out that Wednesday would be a good afternoon for the playdate. I let YC's mom know that I had an extra booster. That way YC could come home directly with us from school and the mom could have some extra time to herself to do whatever. We arranged for a 5pm-ish pickup.
Wednesday came around and we drove home. The girls giggled about goodness knows what. They sat side-by-side in the 2nd row buckets. When we got to the house, my kidlings immediately took off their shoes and socks. They know to do this. We don't wear shoes in our house. Plus, their shoes & socks are ALWAYS filled with sand/dirt/rocks from school. So most of the debris piles up in front of the garage door for easy sweeping & vacuuming.
Seeing my kidlings remove their shoes prompted YC to do the same. Fine, right? The girls tore upstairs and started to play. This is the point where I began to appreciate my kids.
- YC tried to bring toys downstairs - we have the toys upstairs in the loft area. **
- YC tried to bring BIG toys (like a baby pack-n-play) down after I told her nothing was allowed downstairs.
- YC threw a ball down the stairs. ** We don't throw anything from the 2nd floor to the 1st. She did it a second time. **
- When I served a snack (saltines with peanut butter and slice bananas on the side), YC kept on getting up from the nook table and running upstairs. This prompted the Princess to follow her. ** We eat our snack. We don't run around when we eat. **
- When YC's mom came to pick her up, she brought their new puppy with her. YC promptly put the puppy down on our floor. Umm....PICK THE DAMN DOG UP! No, I didn't say that. But I wanted to. YC's mom had to keep on telling her that about 10 times to pick the puppy up. I guess I know where she gets the habit of not listening....
When I served the snack, YC came over to me and we had the following discussion.
YC: "What can I eat?"
Me: "Well, I made that snack over there."
YC: "Oh."
Me: "Why?"
YC: "I want cereal."
Me: "Cereal?"
YC: "I eat Cocoa Puffs."
Me: "We don't have that kind of cereal."
She looks up in the pantry. I take down the boxes. Shredded Wheat. Fruit Harvest. Nothing sugary. She looks disappointed. She looks more closely in our pantry. She points.
Me: "I'm not making that. That's not for a snack."
You know what she was pointing at? Not the rice cakes. Not the dried cranberries. Not the Nutrigrain bites. She was pointing at the Chef Boyardee spaghetti can that was ALL the way in the back. Our "emergency" rations.
She ended up eating nothing.
And that prompts me to recall the conversation in the car on the drive home.
Me: "Prin, do you want water or milk with your snack?"
Prin: "Water please."
Me: "You feeling a little dehydrated today?"
Prin: "Yeah. I didn't drink enough water at school."
Me: "Okay. YC? What do you want to drink? Milk or water?"
YC: "Water."
Me: "Two waters. Got it."
YC: "I'm only allowed to drink soda when I'm with my mom."
I let that comment go without an answer. Did she think I was going to serve up soda? My kids don't drink soda. The Princess gets a tummy ache from drinking Capri Suns. She only likes to have orange juice that's diluted in half with water.
I guess YC is used to getting her way at home. Who knows if she'll ever want to come back to our house for a playdate. Maybe I'm too strict for her. I definitely don't have the stuff she likes to eat stocked in my pantry.
But my kid? I hope they follow the rules of conduct we instill in our home when they are out and about. The Bear is still a little young to figure it out. I know that the Prin is good about it. Today her teacher said "Gabrielle is a joy to have around. If all the kids were like her, then teaching would be a breeze." That was the best compliment for my daughter's behavior. That she's respectful of her friends and her teachers. That she listens to directions. That she can follow rules. That she lets people have their space. That she doesn't have to act like others who are not following the rules to remain their friend.
I hope that when your kids have a playdate...you don't have a 'guest' like we did.
** This mark? Indicates that I told the girls directly what the rules are. And wehre I have it twice under the same number? That means I had to say the rule a second time. It's not that the Princess forgot the rules. She didn't want to reprimand her friend. She and I have since had a discussion that if she has friends over that she can say "We're not allowed to do that in our house. My Mom & Dad said so." This way she's saying what the rules are in OUR house. She's not being the bad guy. She's just the messenger. Mom & Dad become the bad guys with her explanation.
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