It's funny being one of the Afterschool Moms. Well, I suppose I should say, one of the Afterschool Parents, but I'm pretty much the only Dad out there on anything like a regular basis, so…one goes with the name that’s already there.
I may have posted a long time ago about what it was like to wait for the bus with Jake, and how the moms there on our block seemed unsure what to do with me. I never really felt as though I were accepted. I was a dad hanging out in their mom-space, and no-one was comfortable.
It has taken a while, but hanging out after school almost every day so Jake can play for a while has literally gotten me a place at the table. The picnic table, to be precise (there are 2-3 picnic tables set up around the playground). There, school policies are dissected, teachers compared, summer programs evaluated, and world problems occasionally solved.
I mostly just sit and listen, though I do contribute. I am most uncomfortable, oddly enough, when things get silly, because, lets face it folks, guy silliness is not quite the same as gal silliness, and I'm afraid I might overstep the bounds were I to cut loose.
Its cool, though I am slightly disappointed that Trish gets the invite to the "Mom's Only" party instead of me. :-)
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2 comments:
I'm with ya. Pushing my 2nd one around in the stroller has helped give me an "in" while waiting for my 1st to get out of school. I've been trying to piece together which mom is with which kid, and if the kid is in my girl's class (there are 3 KG classes).
Jacob says
I like that my dad waits at the picnic table and lets me play. It gives me time to let me hang out with my friends and play soccer or games like Star Wars. My dad is the best dad in the world.
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