Play Group: For Jayden or Me?

After being part-time for about a month, I really started to get into a routine with Jayden and the house chores etc. I got to thinking about finding a playgroup for him to participate in. I thought it would be great for him to interact with other kids and nice to get out of the house, plus I could meet other people as well. Good times, right? As time went on, I had a hard time finding a group. I became more and more desperate. I was going crazy with Jayden in the house. No! Stop! Come here! Jayden! It was and is never ending. PS It’s especially great now that Jayden says NO when I ask him to come here.

I felt this overwhelming need to find other women who could relate to what I was going through, plus I feel really bad for my girlfriend Maria who has to listen to my every complaint. Trust me, being naturally emotional and pregnant to boot, there are plenty of complaints. To be honest, I even forgot why I was looking for play group to begin with. Hello? For Jayden. Oh, yeah. But what about me? I need to have other women friends. I need allies. I need to be around other moms of toddlers. I need support, guidance, and reassurance that I can do this. I can be a good mom too.

Finally, I caught up with my neighbor and shared with her some of my frustrations. To my surprise, she said she was interested in the same thing too. Really? Someone else who feels like running in the opposite direction of their child? I was so excited. I could barely contain myself. We set it up and today, we had our first play date. All week, I was looking forward to it. Was the play date for me or for Jayden? Don’t answer.

We took the kids out to the park. Her daughter is just 6 months old, but sat in the swing happily, next to Jayden while we chit chat. Then, we fed the kids. Jayden was done with lunch really fast. He was more interested in running and playing. So I chased him around for a good couple of hours. He ran in the grass, looked for sticks, tried to run away from me, and made his way to the swings. He’s improved so much. He climbed the stairs almost all by himself and went down the slide about 5 times before I dragged him back to the swings. Mommy was tired. There, I joined my neighbor where we chatted some more while I pushed Jayden and she rocked her baby to sleep. Finally, we gathered our belongings and I dragged Jayden away from the park. I had to carry him of course because clearly, he did not want to leave.

When we got home, I was ready for a nap, but Jayden was warmed up and ready for more action. How did that happen? Good thing Daddy was home and took him out to the yard to play for a while. I recharged my batteries with a shower and a quick rest on my recliner. It felt so good to have someone else to talk to while I ran around after Jayden. I can’t wait to do it again. We’re shooting for next Monday. I also finally got a hold of a Mom’s Club chapter in my area. They are sending me more information. I can’t wait. Finally, I am creating a win-win for both Jayden and I. Jayden gets to run around and play and I get to meet new people in my area. What a relief, for us both I’m sure.