Helping Children Form Healthy Friendships
When it comes to helping your child form healthy friendships from a young age, it is crucial. Kids benefit greatly from having friends to play with, as it helps them learn social skills and keeps loneliness at bay.
Are Parents Using Playdates To Get Free Child Care?
At least, that’s what one parent on Reddit believes after she repeatedly experienced the same frustrating situation: Parents dropping their kids off for a playdate at her home, and not returning to pick them up at the agreed-upon time—leaving this mom feeling like an unwilling babysitter.
“These playdates have predetermined start and end times, yet some parents ignore them, assuming I’ll take responsibility for their child indefinitely. Playdates are not free babysitting—respect the agreed-upon times,” she wrote in her post.
The frustrated mom is tired of feeling as though other parents take advantage of her patience and kindness, writing, “Don’t assume that just because someone has support, they have it easier than you.”
“Having a ‘village’ does not lessen my workload, nor does it make me responsible for everyone else’s children. While I’m happy to help [my] family, I will not be taken advantage of,” she continued.
It’s Never OK To Blow off a Playdate’s End Time
While some parents prefer to stick around during their young kids playdates in order to monitor their behavior and make sure everyone stays safe, others don’t mind using that hour or two to run a quick errand or catch up chores. But if they do intend to drop their kids off, the timing needs to be explicitly agreed upon by both parents.
In these situations, communication is key. If you’re an overwhelmed parent who needs a break to take a shower or rest for an hour or so while your kids play but you can’t afford a babysitter, other parents in your neighborhood might be more than willing to help.
The key is to be open about your needs—rather than abruptly dropping your child at their doorstep and blowing off the pick-up time so you can take a nap. You might think it’s OK as long as the kids are having fun, but actually, it’s disruptive to the other family’s schedules, might be a safety hazard, and is unfair to the other parents, who might be overwhelmed themselves or just want some alone time with their families.
In general, it’s probably a good idea to give other parents as much grace as you can, because parenting a young kid is challenging even in the best of times, and you never know what circumstances a well-meaning parent might be facing behind the scenes.
That being said, your village is there to provide support—it’s not an infinite well of free child care. Be open about what you need, and you’re most likely going to be met with compassion and understanding.
—
Read More For Parents