Day 3: Playdates

Parenting young children is hard. Parenting young children during a pandemic? That's a lonely new adventure. We find ourselves cut off from the supports we used to rely upon. No babysitters. Sporatic preschool (ours was closed all of November due to COVID cases, and we quarantined for a full 2 weeks). Infrequent, careful interactions with only our closest family and friends. Skype calls with the grandparents that last about 2 minutes before our kid decides he wants to do something else.

Today we got to enjoy a real, live playdate, and it was glorious.

My son got a stomp rocket for his birthday from his aunt and uncle, and he wanted to share it with his best friend. His BFF's parents happen to be some our our closest friends also, so a playdate is a big deal for all of us! The weather was warm (for January) and everyone was healthy, so we masked up and enjoyed some outdoor social time. 

The kids are finally old enough to play with each other without needing much intervention from the parents (and are good about wearing their masks), so we adults were able to catch up with each other and de-stress also. Everyone needs a playdate sometimes. We usually call them game nights because we're grown-ups, but we all know there's no difference. 

By the end of the afternoon, the boys were worn out and the parents were recharged. It was exactly the kind of day we all needed before diving back into the work & preschool routine. My husband commented that this "winter break" didn't feel like a break from much except the occasional Zoom meeting. We were both concerned that we would be more tired than normal this first week back at work because we didn't rest very well. After today, I think we will be just fine.