3 Mommy Meet-ups I Avoid At All Costs

Natasha Daniels, mom and writer at Scary Mommy, is a self-diagnosed introvert.  She works hard to avoid awkward social situations with other parents while still letting her daughter participate in things like girl scouts and play dates.

I laughed out loud reading her perception of activities with kids!  Here's what she has to say about it:

Okay, I don’t remember my mom participating in any of my activities (if you can even call roaming around the block until the streetlights came on an activity). It starts off early these days with Mommy and Me classes. Yes, I do want my toddler to learn to swim. No, I do not want to squeeze my mommy body into a bathing suit and awkwardly sing songs with seven strangers in an over-chlorinated pee pool.

Those mommy & me swim classes have always terrified me. No way am I doing that!

1. Invitations: Where’s the freakin’ email address?

When my children get a birthday invitation, I desperately scan the card for an RSVP email. If there is no email, I silently curse the mom and look for the second best thing: a number with the wonderfully scribbled words “text me” next to it.

I never really thought about it. I always text my RSVP or respond on social media.  My son's birthday is this month so I'll be sure to add an email address to the RSVP card.

2. Birthday Parties: At what age is drop-off allowed?

Birthday parties are 120 minutes of pure torture. When you have young children, it is apparently not acceptable to drop and run without prompting whispers and a call to Child Protective Services. No, you must endure the “fun” along with your children.

I love birthday parties! But that's only because my son's only friends are my friends' kids, so it basically turns into a time for us to catch up on chatter and let our husbands supervise the kiddos.

3. Playdates: Kill me now!

Playdates are worse than going to the dentist, hearing the sounds of fingers on a chalkboard, and dare I say, pre-labor. Yes, it feels that bad. It starts with the dreaded words, “Mom, I want a playdate with….” I tune out the rest as my heart starts to pound. Oh God, a playdate. “Okay,” I say through gritted teeth, trying to sound encouraging. And then my mind starts to whirl. Can I text the mom? Yeah, phone phobia is part of the whole package. Will she maybe just drop her kid off? Do I have to entertain the mom the whole time too?

Play dates do stress me out, but mostly because I'm worrying about my toddler making social faux pas like not sharing and shoving other kids when he's angry.

To find out how Daniels feels about parent pick up and read about all the ways she tries to avoid talking to other moms (especially on the phone!) read the full article at Scary Mommy.