Social Butterflies

PRO: My kids have something to do other than vegetate in front of the television.

CON: I must give up similar relaxing (although with a good book, so at least I get some brain points) to drive them thither and yon.

PRO: They are doing their part in building community.

CON: I am obligated to do likewise as invitations cannot go long unreciprocated before they stop arriving.

PRO: They're obviously fitting in well.

CON: [...]

And really, there the inner grumbling that accompanies the frequent invitations for play-dayts, parties, and other dance-a-ca-chucas stops.

We get a lot of invites. Probably not as many as lots of other kids, but it does seem that we get our fair share. We've had four birthday parties in as many weekends. Today we received two invites within ten minutes (fortunately, one for each child), so I spent my usual supper prep time finding my way to unfamiliar houses and then asking The Husband to come home early when I realized that one child was due to be dropped off at home at the same time as I was due to pick the other one up.

I was complaining about this the other month to my mom. When did they grow up? Just yesterday, it seems, they were plump little toddlers whose social calendar was decidedly under my control and consisted primarily of walks to the park and Dora three times a day. Suddenly the phone is ringing and soft voices ask, "Is The Girl home?" Or other moms tell me again how their child can't stop talking about my son and could he come over to play.

But my mom stopped my griping in its tracks.

"Be glad they're being asked. It would be far worse if they received no invitations."

For true, that is. And really, it warms my heart whenever the phone rings or another invite comes in the mail. It shows that my Littles, relative newcomers who marched bravely into yet another school filled with unknown faces not six months ago, have Made Friends.

Which is worth every GoogleMaps visit to print out directions to yet another strange house.