Playgroups are like childhood vaccines. Some parents wouldn't dare
raise their young children without a regularly scheduled one. Others
don't want anything to do with them. Others attend reluctantly, off
schedule, skipping frequently.
And it's true, playgroups, like
vaccines, sometimes get knocked for a few bad outcomes. They get blamed
for giving mom a low self-esteem (she brought the wrong snack, drives
the wrong stroller). They're a hotbed of self-deprecation.
The playgroup was the miracle that promised to prevent loneliness and
first-time parent confusion but wound up making you feel like a loser.
I
have always loved the idea of playgroups but as time went on -- and we
moved, again! -- participated in them less and less. I looked at
playgroups more like pick-up bars: you meet someone you like, trade
phone numbers and see each other outside the set time and location.
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