Playground Drama

MSNBC.com has  an article about the drama that can sprout up among playgroup parents:

Emily Lewis, 29, a mom of two who lives near Petersburg, Va., once received an e-mail threatening suspension from her playgroup organizer because her son had reportedly been pushing another small child. “I know he did no such thing,” she says. “It caused me a lot of anxiety. I always had to be on guard for what someone might say so we wouldn’t get kicked out.”

Lewis eventually dropped out, and she’s vowed to avoid any more formally organized playgroups in her new town. “It takes the civility out of it. Rather than just talking to each other about their problems, people take their problems to the club officers. It just ends in suspicion and hurt feelings.”

Others find playgroup dramas tend to be simple cases of personality clashes.

“It was exactly like back to high school,” recalls Stacey Devendorf, 33, a real estate agent in Lynn, Mass., who never fully clicked with her daughter’s playgroup. “If you worked, had political views, even music tastes that differed, you were ostracized. The women that deviated left the group or didn’t feel welcome.”

My take is that play goups have always been more about the parents than the kids. 

Why not just go to the park- play with your kids or bring a book along.  Be polite to the other parents but don't make them the center of your attention.

Comments

[Ginkgo100]

Why not just ignore other parents instead of joining playgroups? Sanity, that's why. SAHM need to interact with other adults. It is for the sake of the children because stir-crazy or depressed parents are not good for children. And it's good for kids to see that they are not the center of the universe. And it does have direct benefits for the kids, especially in families with only one or two children.

[Dave O]

Ginkgo100: I didn't say to ignore other parents. My point is that you don't need a structured playgroup in order to enjoy the fun and benefits of hanging out at a playground. A parent shouldn't let a bad playgroup experience get in the way of their child's fun.