How do I initiate for play dates in USA

skalluri · Feb 22, 2012

Hi friends,

My son is 7 year old, he is the only child to me. I engage him in differenct kinds of activities like Kumon, sunday Hindu class, Martial arts, and seasonally swimming, basketball etc. but somehow I feel pity he doesn't have good freinds for free play. I try to intiate play date, some people dont show much interest. :bonk how should I handle. My son always wants somebody to come to our house also to have get together and paly some time, doesn't matter desi or Amrus. What are all the ways I can invite the people. He has one good friend of school, but that kid is foster kid as has restrictions by state for visiting anybody's house without parents etc, so he cannot come.

Other kid although he is good friend of my son, one day said he cannot come until April as they are getting new baby at home:hide: new baby at home and this kid is busy? I thought his parents are not so intersted. Other kid I invited once, but that family didn't take intiative to maintain relationship for further play days from their side, how can I ask again and again.

I dont understand the mentality of people, how can I find good friends to me and also for my son. I feel like I am after the people to make friendship. :drowning

Please give me tips to make new connections and invite people.

Sujatha.

knbg · Feb 23, 2012

Dear Sujatha,
My son is 7 year old too.....:cheers
It happens...sometimes, we might not meet people with matching frequencies.....
I take him to park, art classes, music class and library........there I happened to meet some like minded friends.....Some times we visit each other's place for play date and some other times, we meet at the park or after art class.....some how it works.......

Srama · Feb 23, 2012

Sujatha,

first off, let me tell you that as he gets older, the need for play dates reduces and he might start looking for more meaningful and stable friend ships. For me, personally, playdates wise, it has always been my neighborhood friends and some Indian (I can count upto just about 2 fingers ) that has worked in the past. One aspect that helped me was not having a feeling for reciprocity! If I wanted a play date for my child, I simply called them up irrespective of whether they had called mine after that first date! Slowly people warmed up and now in the neighborhood we have kids running around through each others' back doors. Another place would be I guess a group like balvihar! If nothing works, the best way is to keep entertaining people with kids of same age group...some...one or two might click.

But I wanted to tell you that it gets easier now on...it will be amazing how your child starts building relationships else where and looks less and less for your help and encouragement. You are also doing fantastic as a mom and that is allwe need to do!