Our Social Calendar is Filling Up Again

                Good news, y’all. Our social calendar is finally filling up again. After months of wondering what we would do with the death of our social lives, we are finally being reintroduced to society. But if you’re thinking it involves margaritas and a late hour, you are mistaken. It now involves high chairs and sippy cups. We are finally being welcomed into the world of baby socialdom.  For you who think it’s a joking matter, think again.
                For a while I worried that SL would not get enough social interaction, since she is at home with a sitter during the day and not with me. I was concerned about the detrimental effect on her long term development and every time she kissed a photograph of a baby worried that she wouldn’t know what to do with the real thing. This is why we started going to Baby Story Time. Baby Story Time is, to put it lightly, magical. We sit in a circle with our babies for about 20 minutes and then sing, play little lap games, and finally the librarian reads a story. Did I mention there are bubbles?  And while story time itself is awesome what is really great is what happens afterwards. Getting to speak with other parents. Watching your baby crawl (okay, attempt to crawl) and touch other babies. So that’s step 1 of our social reentry. I consider them sort of like Junior League meetings. You get through the business part so you can get down to the BUSINESS part- in this case, minus the wine.  Though I may suggest we change that.
                Next, there are the birthday parties. I remember going to SO. MANY. PARTIES. When I was a kid. I feel like every weekend there was a party for someone, and we always got cake and an awesome goody bag.  My favorites were the Lisa Frank themed ones, but I am a product of the 80s.  It’s hard to believe that a) it’s my little girls turn. And b) I’m becoming that person.  Sorry, you wanted to meet for brunch on Saturday? We’ve got Kinder music.  The 18th? We’ll be at the park. It’s a different way of life, one in which I ache for events that are over by 5 so we don’t have to mess with the Bedtime Routine, and I coordinate things to happen around SL’s theoretical naptimes.
                Then, there are the playdates. Playdates can take place in a variety of locations and work around both your work schedule and baby’s nap schedules.  As our friends give birth they seem to be a little more prevalent, but currently are few and far in between. What it means to me is adult conversation and I now TREASURE adult conversation. Even if it is about how many diapers one goes through, or wondering if your baby is always going to be SO OBSESSED with cords and outlets.

                Every neurotic mom (are we all neurotic? Maybe…) worries about her child’s social skills. Worries that we’ve overexposed them to screen time (she can’t take her eyes away from the glow), underexposed them to conversation (do we use baby voice or adult speaking voice?), and somehow affected their developmental growth (What if taking away that talking puppy stunts her IQ? What if taking away the talking puppy increases her IQ?  Why am I questioning her IQ?).   And being invited to things brings a sigh of relief that there is some normalcy in your life. That your kid will be fine, and that you won’t turn into the mom who brings carrot sticks to munch on instead of birthday cake (though it is tempting to become that person). I would love to delve deeper into this topic with you, but SL has an invitation I have to respond to. 

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