mommy loves to what!?

the evidence is mounting to prove that we are officially out of the baby zone and into kidville U.S.A.. i need to stress the U.S.A. part of that last statement because american childhood has become a bizarre sort of enterprise. now that both of my kids are school-aged, and kickin' it at home with me on an old school summer style break i realise that i need to do more for them than go for a little walk or play in the backyard for short stints between naps and meals. (god, i miss naps). these things are great some days, but i need to pepper their summer with more adventurous outings. now i should back-up a little and state that i am a conscientious objector to the current trend in parenting that says my kids will be losers and rejects unable to function in society if they aren't enrolled in every activity the community ed catalog has to offer. i have no interest in my kids eating most of their meals from mcdonald's in the minivan (which i don't have by the by) while being shuffled between t-ball and soccer practice. is it just me, or does that sound like hell on earth? but, i do admit that hermitage might not be the best approach either. so, izzy joined girl scouts this year, and georgia has enjoyed swimming with the ymca. and now that's it's summer i am just starting to make a concerted effort to involve them more, without over-involving them, in some community activities. for example, today we went to what is apparently the happening mid-morning summer time destination in this fair western suburb for a standing group playdate with georgias fellow preschool alums. i wasn't sure who all would be there but we went anyways. the girls armed with their charm and good-looks, and me armed with a david sedaris book so as to avoid inane uncomfortable mommychat with women i don't know. (see previous post about crotchetiness). i was hopful that some of the moms that i genuinely enjoy would be there, but hopes fell fast when i got a look at the crew lined up on the side of the park. we had been spotted already by a well-meaning little boy from georgia's class who was excited to see her. little did he know that he just foiled my escape plan of "scout it out before committing". (i would of gotten away with it too, if it weren't for these meddling kids.) so we ventured on towards the play area. in under 60 seconds the mombot who carries business cards with her contact info and the title "coopers mom" was grilling me about our children's adoptions and their biological connections. in about 90 seconds i was parked on a bench on the other side of the park reading david sedaris. which obviously means that i want a 56 year old nanny with adha and a bad case of verbal diarrhea to sit down next to me and start talking with no invitation or signs of needing to take a breath. duh, what was i thinking getting out my book like that? she rambled on for i'm not sure how long about her boyfriend in tuscon and his feelings about her nannying in minnesota for summer. really? he's your BOYfriend, are you sure about that 56 year old nanny lady? 'cause i'm not so sure. and i'm pondering the idea of how old is too old to call someone your boy or girl friend when i was spotted once again. this time not by an innocent looking for his preschool friend, but rather by my nemesis, the antithesis of every womanmotherperson value i have in this world. it was mommylovestoshop headed right for me. an excursion driving, valley-girl talking, over processed hair having, stay-at-home divorcee who bad talks her ex in nearly sentence she utters and gossips in the hallways at the elementary school like she's trying to letter in it. as if i just got caught at the mall reserved for the cool kids she says, "i didn't know YOU came here?" to which i responded. "yes, i go to public parks. with my children. so they can play." she throws back an overzealous, "WONDERFUL!! so we'll see you around here this summer then." oooh, she's good. she knows i don't want to be where she is, and she just played that hand like a pro. all this and we had been there all of a half hour. this is one more example of how those romantic hippie notions of parenthood and leisurely afternoons reading in the park while my kids play are just a load of crap. yes, there was a park. and there was a book, as well as an intention to read it. but the world around has others plans that very rarely coincide with what a mother might want for herself. and the irony is that when i tuck my children in to sleep tonight and ask them, as i do every night, what was the best part of their day? i would bet a million bucks they chime in unison, "playing at the park!!"