About Me:

Aloha! I'm Wendy Kennar. I'm the mother of a seven-year-old son and a wife living in Los Angeles. I was a public school teacher for twelve years until a chronic medical condition made it necessary to leave my teaching career.

I've always been described as "quiet" - really, I'm just biting my tongue. I've got lots to say, and lots of thoughts to share, I just prefer to write them. That's the purpose of this blog. Each Wednesday, I post a personal essay offering my observations and thoughts.

A few fun facts about me: I've wanted to be a writer since second grade, when my teacher, Mrs. Jones, made me a "book" with a yellow construction paper cover. I have never learned to whistle, have always preferred sunflowers to roses, and have spent my life living within the same zip code.

Through the years, my writing has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, United Teacher, GreenPrints, L.A. Parent, DivineCaroline.com, RoleReboot.org, XOJane, and Brain, Child Magazine. Additionally, my personal essays have been included in several anthologies, including: The Barefoot Review, Beyond the Diaper Bag, Lessons From My Parents, Write for Light, Being a Grown-Up: A User's Manual for the Real World, Ka-Pow!, How Writing Can Get You Through Tough Times, Breath and Shadow, The Grey Wolfe Storybook, and Sisters Born, Sisters Found.
I am a regular contributor at MomsLA.com, and you can also find me at Goodreads.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Feel free to comment and share my blog with others!

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Play Date Protocol


                                                      This is what play sometimes looks like at our house
                                                                   

   The night before my son’s much-anticipated play date, he asked me where the name “play date” came from.  He wanted to know who had made it up. 

   My husband and I looked at each other, rather impressed that Ryan would even think of that question in the first place.

   And while we didn’t have an answer for Ryan, we also had a bit of information that made us sound quite old to our son -- when we were kids, no one even used the term “play date.”  Back when we were kids, everyone just casually said they were “going over to play at a friend’s house.”

   It seemed much more casual then.  And maybe it was.  Nowadays, parents have all these rules -- both spoken and unspoken.  For example, prior to the play date, I asked Ryan’s friend’s mom if there were any dietary restrictions for her son.  (She had said no, and the boys wound up snacking on popcorn and water.)  

   Rides home aren’t as easy now as they used to be.  Booster seats are needed, even for a three-minute car ride for boys who are seven years old.

   But, on the flip side, when parents ask their children, “How was your play date?” they don’t have to settle for a nondescript answer of, “It was fine.”  Because during Ryan’s play date, I was able to take some pictures of the boys (with their consent) and send it to Ryan’s friend’s mom.  It was an easy way for me to let her know her son was fine and having a good time. 

   And even if it’s no longer called “playing at a friend’s house,” the bottom line is that  when it was done, two boys enjoyed each other’s company, played together nicely, and my son had a good time hosting his “play date.” 

3 comments:

  1. Good topic.Amazing the questions Ryan comes up with.Having a playdate today is much more involved then when you were young.I love you and I am proud of you.
    love,mommy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad Ryan enjoyed his play date & I am sure he must have loved being host to his friend. Your mother & I are proud of you.
    Love, dad

    ReplyDelete
  3. Honey,
    Super cute picture and great article!
    I Love You!
    Love, me

    ReplyDelete