So what do you do when you have a little kid over for a playdate and he turns out to be an absolute rascal?
A rascal as in causing physical harm to various portions of the house and nearly to one’s own son. This kid broke Kenny’s basketball hoop by knocking it over and jumping on it, pulled a lawn light out of the ground, and “accidentally” pushed Kenny off a three foot high bar-stool. He ran through the house slamming doors and throwing blocks and other toys at the wall. All in all you can tell that he was desperately in need of some serious parental attention.
The mom and I are neighbors and acquaintances and thought that since our boys were a little under a year apart, it would be fun to get them together and have some time to get to know each other better. All I got to know was that she’s never read anything by James Dobson or John Rosemont… Kenny was a little bewildered and kept trying to play nicely, but you could tell that he was starting to wish that the other little guy would take a hike. Mercifully the playdate was only an hour long, but both Kenny and I were a little shell-shocked by the end.
So my question for you all is… what do you do when a playdate goes awry? Anyone out there have any experiences they are itching to share? Go on- it’s easier on someone else’s blog….
Comments
3 responses to “Etiquette Question #74”
We had a kid in our playgroup in TX that was a real terror. He picked his “victims” well, sticking to kids that were littler than he. There was one time when he clobbered one boy with a mega block and bit a crawling baby on the head! Thankfully I never had to deal with him in my own home, I’m not sure how I would have handled it. His mom worked most days so she was not a frequent member of our playgroup.
This is a tough one! I always get so upset when I see kids getting rough with my sister’s boys, and getting away with it. I also remember when my dog Ryder was a puppy, she was very submissive and there was a dog at the dog park who would always bully her. And his parents would just laugh while Ryder tried everything to get away from him. It made me so upset! sorry I don’t have any good advice for you… hopefully you won’t have to deal with him too often!
Jane, P&B Girls
If it is not in your home, I would just go home early, explaining that maybe the age difference is too much. If it is in your home, I would just set the ground rules. If the mom doesn’t “get it”….maybe suggest going for a walk…so the terror is confined…
I experienced a bully at the park today. Unfortunately, the bully was a friend’s older son, not the son he plays with. I have made up my mind that we will only have playdates with the younger son, even though the mom is on top of things… Sometimes strong willed kids happen to good parents!