What Clever Girls Can Do

I remember the first time another family at my daughter’s day care asked us out for a family dinner date. We were so excited and so nervous. Would our daughter behave? Would we get along with the other couple? Would we have anything in common? The adults had a great time, the kids had a great time, it was a big success. For a while, we were good at scheduling these for every few months but as the kids got older it became harder and harder to make schedules work around after school activities, travel and other commitments.

I thought about how I handled scheduling issues at work. I would just schedule a weekly or monthly recurring meeting with a standing agenda. I would take as much of the administrative burden out of the mix so I could focus on the actual work we needed to accomplish.

So our family implemented a recurring weekly social gathering. On the same night every week between 6 and 6:30 pm we show up at the same restaurant (local bar that serves food) that has stuff for the kids to do (ping pong, pop-a-shot and tether ball!) and food (alcohol) for the parents. Our friends have an open, no-pressure, no-obligation invitation every week.

This has really worked for us. We don’t have to worry about coordinating calendars and choosing locations. The kids have fun and play independently (something they really need). They even eat at their own table. The adults connect in a meaningful way without worrying about managing the kids’ enjoyment (something we really need).