Playdate - did we do something wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - what are you going to do when school starts? I am the PP w/ the friend that has been doing this for years. Her kid is late for school 3x a week. tardy. must be signed in.

deal with it now. it isn't like the playdate was at 8 or 9 am. Everyone could see how getting out the door that early could be a challenge. You KNEW it was after lunch, why not plan accordingly?

Are you normally late with other events? ask yourself why.

Seriously? It's a hangout in a neighbor's backyard, not a judicial swearing-in ceremony or the first homeroom bell. Also, "around 1" means just that -- "around" 1. That is generally assumed to be a 15-minute window on either end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A family just moved in down the street with a daughter the same age (4) as DD.
I met the mom and we traded #s, and I texted her this week to set up a playdate. I suggested meeting at a park near our house but they suggested meeting in their yard. It was hard to land on a time.
We settled on "around 1pm." At 1:10, after DD had changed her pants 100 times, I said, "On our way!" We walked the 60 seconds over to their house. The other girl ignored DD and it was very awkward. Then she went inside after 5 minutes and we were left kind of standing there. The mom did not try to go back in and cajole her out.
She said, oh sorry, she was thrown because you were 10 minutes late and really likes a schedule...We ended up staying talking to the mom for a bit and then left.

Now I feel really weird and bad??!?!? Did we do something wrong? Should I reach out again? In my mind, "around 1" in preschool time is within 15 or so minutes and it's tough to get kids out the door?

I would think the neighbor's child has some special needs -either diagnosed or not. Her kid might have very rigid thinking and it's hard for the child to move on. I would try again. And I would assume the mom likely feels embarrassed and not wanting to share too much information at this point. Try again. Be right on time. Or better yet invite them to your house.