The other day my daughter had a play date. While this isn’t exactly the most revelatory of events, in our house, it’s our older son August who gets most social attention. At 4 years old, Déla has made a few friends, but E (as I will refer to her as) is the first one that she has really had a connection with. August is 6, Déla is 4, and the rivalry has always been fierce between them, so when E came over for her first play date, August had to be right there.
Usually this isn’t a problem, as August and Déla are close enough in age that they can (and do) play together with each other’s friends rather well. This day, however, was different. Déla doesn’t get a lot of play dates, but she’s not a social misfit either. E, however, is the first friend that she has had that she has made a real connection with. We are really hoping they are accepted to the same kindergarten next year, the connection between these two is strong.
So E comes over, and Déla is extremely excited, and the two of them start running around. August joins in, pretty much as expected. A couple of minutes later, the screams of delight shift in tone. The three of them are running around the house, and August is getting a little rougher than he should.
I decided to take August out of the mix by seeing what movies were playing. He was taking over Déla’s play date, and I wanted to allow her to have her own time with this friend. I looked and found something that was playing close by and at an opportune time. And so this is how I took August to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakwel so that he wouldn’t continue to hijack his sister’s play date.
That’s right; I reward my son for being an ass and taking over his sister’s friend by taking him out. That’s how I roll as a parent.