Given my preference for empty playgrounds, it is astonishing how often I end up at ones that are extremely full. I seem to have really bad luck with this. I have found myself in the midst of playgroups with eight moms who all know each other and each brought at least three kids. So my boys are running around with other kids who all know each other and the moms are all standing in a little circles having conversations about their husbands or how much they dislike watching the same episode of Dora over and over again while I do my best to keep an eye on my kids and not feel like a total dork without any friends.
I've also managed to hit playgrounds that are empty only to suddenly find myself surrounded by 40 plus kids who came to the playground for their end of preschool party. And suddenly I can't even locate my own preschoolers in the midst of all the other ones. When that happens I tend to hover around the exit. Finding them is a lost cause but I can at least make sure they stay at the playground.
Just this past week I pulled up to a playground with only a few cars and was feeling pretty lucky. But then I noticed a few more cars pulling in and people getting out carrying bags and cups and plates. We had stumbled onto a birthday party. Not only were there a bunch of kids running around but my boys then had to watch as every single other child in the playground sat down to eat ice cream. That was super.
I really don't hate playgrounds. It's just that they are one more place where my ability to control the situation becomes fairly obsolete. And for a mom who is hanging on by a thread most days, that is the last thing that I need. I wonder if other moms feel the same way or if I'm just weird. Just another place where motherhood brings out a new side to me.
photo by alex korting http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexkorting/3394951937/
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