It’s one of those things there should be a book about.  In the hospital, they show you how to get a good latch and change a diaper, but they don’t say boo about the challenges you’ll be met with as you and your little one venture out to the local park.

First off there are the basic questions.  Are you a dirty hippie if you let your kid take their shoes off in the sandbox?  What about discarded sand toys?  If you forget your bucket, are they fair game to let your little play with?

But moving on…your kid starts chasing another around the swing set, and BOOM – you’ve got a new parent to chat up.  But when the kiddos click, what is your obligation to reach out for a play date?  Do you have one?  Are you psychotic if you do it?   Will you look like a loon if you offer up a phone number or email address so that you kids can continue to connect?  What about a Mom you click with?  Or a Dad?  How do you take that park meeting to the next level?  And should you?

To be clear, I have no answers here.  I’m kind of hoping you guys can enlighten me.  It’s happened a few times now where Dee and I will meet a lovely Mama daughter duo at the park and I feel my palms start to sweat like I’ve been cornered by my Jr. High crush.

To date, I’ve exchanged names with a couple of Moms, but never taken it further – hoping that perhaps we’ll bump into each other again.  No such luck.  But I’m a WAHM with limited childcare (thank moses for Grandmas!).  My kid has NO FRIENDS.  Okay she has two friends, who we are eternally grateful for, but beyond that, I feel like I’m failing her big time.  {I know, I know…it’s time for some Mommy and Me. We do do a music class, so she’s not a complete recluse.}

So yesterday, Dee and I are at the park and she finally gets up the nerve to approach “that purple gril” who she’s been eying across the park.  And turns out the little girl’s Mom is lovely, we were chatting easily by the time Dee climbed up into the swing next to her new friend.

…And then she says it:  “So, do you guys live around here?”  We do, and the conversation turns to other parks in the area, and which ones we frequent.  We exchange names.  And I’m still on my Alt Summit high where it’s totally normal to slip someone your business card, so OMG I did just that.  “Well, let me give you my email if you ever want to meet up at XXX park.”  She seemed receptive, but I couldn’t help feeling like a total dingus as I handed over a card with my social media addictions scrawled all over it.  I mean…the damn thing heralds my twitter handle and says “wordsmith / gal friday” on it.  W.T.F.?

So am I a freak?  Do you think she’ll call?  Do you think she would have called but then she got curious and came to my blog and saw this post and now she definitely won’t? 

I think I need a drink.