Coat Tail Popularity
My son has a lot of friends at school. A lot of friends means a lot of after school play dates. This means I am popular by association! We've been hittin' the play date scene pretty hard and when we don't have a play date, we are Lords of the Jungle Gym after school. Plenty of screaming monster action and parents exchanging information. It's good. I like it. A few of the parents even appreciate my sense of humor. Now there's a perk.
I'm so glad that Sullivan has these social skills because then I don't have to work so hard to be social. What a relief! Of course I don't really get to drink expensive wine, smoke tiny Indian cigarettes and discuss the latest in physics, politics, or religion (see physics) all that much, but I do get to rub elbows with grown ups for a bit. Not to mention how we are all in the same boat, comparing recent monster-related injuries and confiding in each other about how isolated we were before our kids went to school. It's nice to know that I wasn't the only freak who felt completely alone.
It's amazing how hard it is to build that support network when you have a kid who doesn't even rate as a "kid" yet. (newborns, babies, toddlers...) As much as you might think you'll be able to count on your single friends, you really can't. They move on and begin to find you and your baby terminally boring. It's no wonder people decide to stick near their crazy families because even though they may be completely out of their minds at least they are THERE. The devil you know is often far better than no devil of any kind at all. I didn't know how hard it would be to start from scratch. When and if Tom and I decide to do this baby thing again, at least I will have a few people in my life who can and will lend a hand or an ear.
That said, I don't know if we ever will have another kid. I'd like Sullivan to experience a sibling. I adore toddlers. But these last few years have taken such a toll on me. I don't know if I CAN do it again without falling apart. That's what is scary. Being a whole person is pretty important to me.
Ding. Lasagna is ready.
I'm so glad that Sullivan has these social skills because then I don't have to work so hard to be social. What a relief! Of course I don't really get to drink expensive wine, smoke tiny Indian cigarettes and discuss the latest in physics, politics, or religion (see physics) all that much, but I do get to rub elbows with grown ups for a bit. Not to mention how we are all in the same boat, comparing recent monster-related injuries and confiding in each other about how isolated we were before our kids went to school. It's nice to know that I wasn't the only freak who felt completely alone.
It's amazing how hard it is to build that support network when you have a kid who doesn't even rate as a "kid" yet. (newborns, babies, toddlers...) As much as you might think you'll be able to count on your single friends, you really can't. They move on and begin to find you and your baby terminally boring. It's no wonder people decide to stick near their crazy families because even though they may be completely out of their minds at least they are THERE. The devil you know is often far better than no devil of any kind at all. I didn't know how hard it would be to start from scratch. When and if Tom and I decide to do this baby thing again, at least I will have a few people in my life who can and will lend a hand or an ear.
That said, I don't know if we ever will have another kid. I'd like Sullivan to experience a sibling. I adore toddlers. But these last few years have taken such a toll on me. I don't know if I CAN do it again without falling apart. That's what is scary. Being a whole person is pretty important to me.
Ding. Lasagna is ready.
posted by Bree O'Connor at 8:03 PM
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