Play-Date for Julia

Julia was hyperactively excited to have her friend Simi over after school today. While it's not the first time we've had Simi here for a play-date, it has been awhile, and Julia was more than ready to have someone other than Madeleine or me as her afternoon playmate. As a first-born child myself, I remember so well the childhood days of having friends over and feeling like my younger sister was a nuisance as she tried to horn her way into our games. Now, as a mother of two daughters, I have a completely different perspective on the whole ordeal. While I can easily sympathize with Julia in her desire to get to play with Simi without Madeleine tagging along, I also completely understand why Madeleine wants to be in on the excitement too. (Shannon, I am sorry for all those times I left you out, even though you would sometimes intentionally wreck my play time by acting really goofy or doing gross things like eating dog food at one of my birthday parties.) My main strategy today was to keep Madeleine distracted and with me when I could to allow Julia and Simi some alone time, but also to encourage Julia to let Madeleine join in when they were all playing in the same room together.

Madeleine was clearly in seventh heaven getting to be included in the big kids' play. As the three girls sat around the table eating lunch together, Madeleine took every opportunity to chime in during the various conversations Julia and Simi were having. Sometimes her additions were completely relevant to the subject at hand:

SIMI: Did you know that my brother likes peanut butter but not jelly?
JULIA: And I like jelly, but I don't like peanut butter! That's why I never bring peanut butter sandwiches to school.
SIMI: But this part of my peanut butter sandwich doesn't taste good because of the crust.
ME: It's okay, you don't need to eat the crust if you don't like it. Look, Julia didn't eat the crust on her grilled cheese, because she doesn't like crust either.
MADELEINE: (grabbing a hunk of her own sandwich crust) Don't worry, don't worry, Simi. I like to eat MY crust!

Other times, Madeleine seemed to blurt out any old thing just to be part of the conversation:

SIMI AND JULIA: (goofing around) China is on top of Boston, New York is on top of China, Chicago is on top of New York...
MADELEINE: (holding up a plastic Easter egg) AND I... OPENED MY EGG!!!

After lunch, I kept Madeleine distracted by having her help me clean up the blocks so that Simi and Julia could go upstairs and play alone for a little while. After the blocks, Madeleine put away the matchbox cars, and I got busy cleaning up her little fairy friends from yesterday's video. A few moments later, Madeleine suddenly seemed crestfallen, and I foolishly assumed it was over her fairies.

MADELEINE: (frantically) But Mommy, where are my FRIENDS?
ME: Your friends? What do you mean?
MADELEINE: Where did my FRIENDS go?
ME: You mean your fairy friends? I put them back in the Tinkerbell box, right there on the table.
MADELEINE: (on the verge of tears of desperation) No, Mommy, SIMI AND JULIAAAA!

Oh. Those friends. Um, well, they snuck upstairs to play without you. I mean, uh, "They went upstairs to get something. They'll be down soon!"

Luckily, they were, and after allowing Madeleine to come under their dining room table-turned-tent (or, as Madeleine put it, "We're playing under the GHOST!"), Madeleine moved on to some coloring and Simi and Julia were left to play in peace for a little while.


The dining room tent. Or, if you prefer, the ghost.


Later on in the afternoon, I walked the girls down to the playground near our house so we could enjoy the warm spring weather. Simi and Julia chose to hold hands and skip ahead of Madeleine in the stroller, which initially freaked Madeleine out ("HEY! GUYS! Don't forget MEEEEE!"), until I sped up my pace to stick right behind them. Thankfully, Julia the rule-obeyer was able to keep things safe as she and her friend trotted along in front of us. "Wait, Simi, the rule is, when we're walking somewhere with my mom, we DON'T cross the street ourselves. We WAIT and cross it WITH her," she informed Simi as we approached an intersection.

I am so glad that at least ONE of my children obeys the common rules of safety.

I think the skip/sprint to the playground, in addition to all the running around while there, tired the big kids out, because on our walk back home they lagged far behind the stroller, lollygagging their way along the sidewalk, so that I had to keep stopping to wait for them to catch up. At least their slow pace gave them a little more "alone" time, and they carried on a conversation as they walked, some of which I was able to overhear.

SIMI: I wish I had a Rapunzel doll like you.
JULIA: I wish that too.
SIMI: Maybe if I wish on the evening star when I go to bed tonight, I can wish for Rapunzel. Do you ever wish on the evening star?
JULIA: Well, is the evening star even REAL?
SIMI: Yes! I've wished on it before! I looked out my window and I saw the evening star so I said a wish!
JULIA: Well, my mom and dad like me to just close my eyes and go to sleep when they put me to bed, so they don't really want me, like, looking out my window at the stars.

We also don't want her coming into our bedroom a million times with lame excuses as to why she can't fall asleep, but she doesn't seem to abide by those desires.

Finally, shortly before it was time for Simi to go home, the girls had an in-depth conversation about freckles, with Julia pointing out that since she wasn't born with freckles, she doesn't have any. I jumped in and pointed out that they did know someone with freckles, as one of their mutual best friends at preschool is freckled.

SIMI: And do YOU have freckles?
ME: No, I don't have any.
SIMI: But... yeah you do. I can see them on your face.
JULIA: Simi, those are just MOLES and PIMPLES.

Good grief. Will there ever come a day when my pimples are not broadcast to the world by my children??