I have this friend, she and I have known each other since high school. We lost touch during the collage years but met up again while working for Tupperware almost 10 years ago. She has a son who is 13 so when we met up again it was really fun to have two children so close in age. We used to walk the mall on Saturday mornings with the kids in strollers and have even taken some vacations together.
One of the best things about knowing someone this long is that they know your child's quirks. MAC was 2 when she first met SG. She has been with me through the elementary school maze, has been with me as my husband and I decided to try medications, and has listened to my Doctor and insurance stories. She knows my daughter well enough to know that she won't use a napkin or put one on her lap but that we need to have a lot handy for the clean up after the meal.
I hadn't really thought about how freeing it was to go somewhere where they know your child well enough to discipline them as if they were you, until tonight. During the school year we have a standing dinner "date" every two weeks. We used to get together every week until both our schedules got crazy.
Over the years she has had another child, divorced and remarried. She had some of the same issues that I have been working with, so since her son is older, she began her work with the schools earlier than I did and was able to give me hope for what could be accomplished.
Tonight we had our first dinner with them in almost a month. It was great to see my daughter so excited to be going somewhere. Her youngest was excited to see us and her older son played Wii with MAC. I was happy to be able to talk grown up talk with another adult (that wasn't about depression or medication) and it felt good to know that the kids were playing nicely with each other.
About 10 minutes before we left SG and I were in her living room talking when we heard a loud bump from upstairs. We both looked at each other and said, "I don't hear any crying." We both called the older kids down and questioned them about what the noise was. It turned out it was MAC falling after walking backwards in a room. Why? Who knows.
I realized that it was really nice to know some place where I could have a nice dinner with a friend, where I don't have to worry that my child is going to go nuts, and where I know that she is in a safe environment. I have peace of mind that SG is accepting of us, even when there is more buffalo sauce on MAC's face than in her stomach!
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