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Whenever one child has a play date and the other one doesn’t, the puppy dog eyes fill with huge crocodile tears, the lower lip comes out, and the whining begins. “Why I don’t I ever have a play date?”
I try to trick them with a special “date with Mommy,” which is code for running errands and possible getting ice cream if you’re good. They see past my trickery now, and try to get the ice cream FIRST.
Lily got me to get a salted caramel pretzel shake BEFORE we went shoe shopping this afternoon. Normally I would be all about going shoe shopping, but I had to buy new church shoes for Lily and Emmy, and white tennis shoes for Lily’s show choir performance in a couple of weeks. Do I need a new pair of church shoes? Absolutely! Did I get a pair? The fact that I was shopping with a child in tow should answer that question.
We also made a stop at Toys “R” Us and bought a Christmas gift for Emmy. My Christmas shopping has officially begun! I’m usually a last minute shopper, so this is a good start.
I made sure to whisper in Lily’s ear as I tucked her into bed that I had a great time shopping with her. That won’t stop the crocodile tears the next time Emmy has a play date, but I think Lily had fun spending time with me, too.
I could totally relate to this as a child. My sister had far more playdates than I did, because she went to the neighborhood school and I went to special ed an hour’s drive away, and also because I had/have a hard time making frieds due to my autism. I suppose with your kids both of them have the experience of no playdate while the other does sometimes.
Doing this today as Lily has a birthday party of a classmate to attend and Emma isn’t invited and you are right I won’t be shoe shopping for me either 😉
There’s nothing like shopping with children, is there? To be honest, I’m glad I’m past that stage. The memories are still there but the stress of ‘why can’t I have?’ or ‘gimme’ is gone.
Glad I found you again.
Such a good mommy! Such a brave mommy! I never liked shopping with the boys. Isn’t it a hard lesson to teach, though? The one when they have to let their sibling go when they aren’t invited? Sad days, but they make it through. Just like we did.
I remember the play dates at our house were often worse – especially if it was my oldest son and a friend because my younger son thought he should be included in all the playing!!!