The Kid has got together with friends five times since school started two weeks ago. She's seen three new friends from school, and two other schooled friends she's known for a while. None of these playdates was over an hour and a half. We can't fit in anything longer. The other parents seem to find this normal and acceptable, though I've asked them all to reconsider letting their children skip Saturday sports or stay on until after dinner, so our children can have a proper time to have fun together. I can't really blame them for saying no: missing their family dinner might mean parents don't get to see their children at all, and could lead to unfinished homework or late bedtimes.
It seems quite bizarre to be saying goodbye before the visitor has seen our chickens and played with the stuffed toys and seen the computer game and had a tickle fight and a fashion parade and tried out the new roller skates and helped mix up a cake. Is this what they call playing, these brief flying visits?
We haven't even contacted any home educated pals - I feel we'd be wasting their time if we invite them round only to send them home again so soon. The calendar says my daughter has two afternoons free in the next two weeks. If she has her friend stay for dinner and there's no homework and they're allowed to stay up a bit late, that's four hours each afternoon, which is just barely adequate.
On the plus side, she has invited a younger child from school to come round next week. I'm very pleased that she's managing to stick up for herself when the children in her class are telling her that it's uncool to play with little kids.
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