Country playdates

[Anonymous]

We're city mice who moved to the country and wondering how playdates work. If I drive my DD to a friend's house an hour away, I'm not really interested in driving home only to turn back and get her. Am I expected to come in and socialize as well? Or bring my laptop or knitting to pass the time? Or is it ok to wait in the car until the play date is over?

DD is 9. She has friends from all over the rural area because of pony club. I'm hoping they will just socialize in school or at the club. Maybe the girls out here don't do playdates the way we do back home when the kids are climbing up the walls.

[Anonymous]

You either host it yourself or you drive back and forth. I doubt the other family wants you hanging around.

[Anonymous]

Assuming it's a public street, just park and chill out is a good strategy. Rolls calls or clean out the inbox

[Anonymous]

Step 1: Send child down to the barn after breakfast to go take care of and ride her pony.

Step 2: Yell out back door that dinner is ready and child needs to come home because it’s getting dark.

I mean, you’re out on a farm. If your kid has access to a pony and she’s not building jump courses with poles, hay bales, kitchen chairs, bags of shavings, etc.; trying her hand at trick riding; hacking over to a friend’s; getting lost in the woods; playing polo with a broom and a soccer ball; practicing her braiding skills; or reading a book in the hayloft, you’re doing it wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Step 1: Send child down to the barn after breakfast to go take care of and ride her pony.

Step 2: Yell out back door that dinner is ready and child needs to come home because it’s getting dark.

I mean, you’re out on a farm. If your kid has access to a pony and she’s not building jump courses with poles, hay bales, kitchen chairs, bags of shavings, etc.; trying her hand at trick riding; hacking over to a friend’s; getting lost in the woods; playing polo with a broom and a soccer ball; practicing her braiding skills; or reading a book in the hayloft, you’re doing it wrong.

This sounds perfect!

[Anonymous]

You seriously can’t figure this out on your own?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You seriously can’t figure this out on your own?

That city mouse isn’t so bright.

[Anonymous]

Has this actually been an issue yet? I would be surprised if you end up doing a ton of play dates with people who live that far away. One of the biggest downsides to private school we found was that it just eliminated like half the students that we realistically would do play dates with (those who lived the opposite direction of the school from us) and other parents seemed to feel the same way. They will naturally encourage their kids towards people who live near them. If you have an only and want to make specific friendships happen you will probably need to make it easy on the other family by bringing the kid home from practice and being flexible about when they can pick up.

Hopefully your DD will make friends at school who live closer.

[Anonymous]

Run errands. Find a coffee shop and read a book. Find a park and take a walk.

[Anonymous]

“run errands” — park your car somewhere a couple mins away and work there or find a coffee shop and work there, or actually run to the grocery store during the play date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your first mistake was pony club

If true pony club or Mounted games of America you do know this area allowed a known pedo to hang and continue being part of their groups

Second it’s your kid but at nine I’m not having you hang for a play date unless I am really bored

Country mice grow up you twat

NP. I can't believe you hate people who grew up reading Beatrix Potter this much.

[Anonymous]

You drive one way and drop off. The other parent drives your kid pack home in 4 hours or whatever. Take turns. Split it up every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You drive one way and drop off. The other parent drives your kid pack home in 4 hours or whatever. Take turns. Split it up every time.

^back

[Anonymous]

What about the kids just go home from school together or pony club and you pick up daughter after a few hours? or reverse - you bring someone else's kid home and parents come pick up. Maybe meet in the middle?

[Anonymous]

This seems like a weird question to ask on a forum that has the word "urban" in the title of it.