Day 17 - What the heck is a playdate?

Seriously...when did these become the norm?  Little Man has two in the next couple weeks.  Both with boys from his school.

I was talking to some of the women I work with and we were all trying to figure out when having someone watch our kids or having our kids play with the other kids in the neighborhood became "play dates."  Are we setting our kids up for future marriages?

I find myself easily engulfed in the lingo mainly because Little Man asks when he can have a play date with So-and-So next.  It's the buzz word to hang out with friends.

Wikipedia has a fascinating entry about it including "standard for children of many western cultures because the work schedules for busy parents along with media warnings about leaving children unattended, prevent the kind of play that children of other generations participated in" and "part of the vernacular of popular culture and form a part of children's 'down time'".   Children's play dates also lend themselves to the parents developing friendships.

According to Merriam-Webster, the word has been around since 1984.  I certainly don't remember my mom using it though!  Guess that's another difference of city versus rural life.

The larger picture is that our culture is changing.  Play dates are becoming a necessity in the two-income households where working hours extend past school hours.  Parents need to pre-arrange childcare/babysitters/play dates for their kids since there are a few hours they won't be home.

Good or bad?  Are we losing something where dinner was when the street lights went on and kids headed home?  When you could play in the park or playground down the block but still hear your mom yell your name?

It's an interesting cultural development to ponder.  Is it worth changing?  Do we need to?

Just some thoughts to start your weekend...

Cheers,
Megs