A couple of years ago, had someone asked me what a play date was, I may have blushed slightly and thought something totally inappropriate. I can laugh at that notion now that play dates have become a part of my weekly routine.

My son is one and a half so at this point they are as much for me as they are for him. At the risk of sounding like a freakish controlling mom, the truth is that I am the one who picks his friends, not him. Apparently, I have good judgment when it comes to this because he is always very happy to see his friends…….and mine.

We have taken several “mommy and me” type classes and the kids whose moms I knew previously or had heard of through friends of a friend are the ones that my son usually ends up playing with. However, one adorable little girl in our very first class loved to follow my son around and it seemed that whether the mom and I liked each other or not, our kids were gonna be friends. Fortunately that was not a problem at all because over a year later, without any classes in common, we still have play dates every week and the little girl is still chasing after my boy!

One of my favorite places to take my son to meet a play date is to the park. He loves to run around on the grass, climb up the playground, and go down the slides. He is also fascinated with the swings and after literally being knocked down on the ground by a swing in the head, I have to be very careful and watch his every move when he darts in that direction.

Earlier this week, for instance, we were at the playground and he starts heading towards the swings. I normally like to give him his freedom and not stay too close by, but there are always exceptions. Meanwhile, one of the nannies at the park was talking on the phone and not paying an iota of attention to the toddler she is supposed to be watching, let alone anyone coming towards them. She was standing there pushing the boy on the swing, totally unaware that my son was about to run right behind them. I had to make a mad dash to save my son from yet another knockout.

Then, there was the young boy with a choo-choo train. For those of you who aren’t aware, my son has an obsession with any mode of transportation and he can spot wheels a mile away. Of course he has no clue that the toy does not belong to him. In his world, everything is his. So when I try to explain to him that he can’t rip the toy from another kid’s hands and run away with it, he has a fit. I mean a real tantrum, with foot stomping, red face and real tears. That’s not my idea of a fun way to celebrate a play date.

Another way we always meet up with our friends for play dates are at each other’s houses. The kids always get a kick out of playing with new toys. Even if it’s the same toy at our house, for some reason it looks different at some one else’s. So far we haven’t had any problems with mommy politics. Maybe it’s the kids’ ages, maybe it’s the laid back type of mommies I hang out with, or maybe we’ve just been lucky so far. Whatever the case, I don’t look forward to the day when a seemingly harmless play date turns ugly. Hopefully it won’t happen.

Do you have any funny stories to share? Any run-ins with another mom or kid? Any tips on how to prevent problems or deal with different parenting styles at a play date? Please add your comments….and check out what other blogging moms at casual keystrokes are saying about their play dates.