Andrea’s Weblog

Elizabeth and I joined the Moms Club of Evans. Although the club has a bunch of activities going on, the main reason we joined was to start going to a playgroup. I figured that she’s at the age where it’s important for her to start making friends and learning how to interact with other kids.

I looked into taking her to a mother’s morning out program, where I would drop her off, but they didn’t seem to have enough staff. It was a room with 12 two-year-olds and two adults–one of the adults was occupied taking potty-trainers back and forth to the bathroom. In the 10 minutes we were there observing, I prevented one kid from eating chalk and solved several toddler disputes. This didn’t seem like the best environment for Elizabeth to learn how to share and interact with kids her age.
I found out about the playgroup that meets each week at a different house, and the kids play while the moms chat. Saying that the kids play is not 100% true. At Elizabeth’s age, they are still independent and usually only notice the other kids when they’re doing something that looks fun. Pity the kid that finds a toy that catches the attention of the other kids. The kids descend on the toy (and kid) like vultures and try to steal the toy for themselves. This is when the moms swoop in and try to solve the squabble before anyone starts crying. Repeat this to varying degrees, with various players about a dozen times and soon enough it’s time to go home.