Playgroup vs Playground

Are you a playgroup, playground or maybe a mix of both parent?

There are so many options out there for playgroups. You have the free or very inexpensive ones, the pricey ones, the structured ones, the themed (such as religious or philosophy based) ones and no doubt many others I haven't thought of.  I've brought my daughter Sari to a couple playgroups and for us we always seem to end up at the playground the following week instead.
Sari is an incredibly social little girl and loves people in general. Playgroups, playground, just me and her in the front yard with neighbours walking by saying hello, it all makes her happy which makes me happy. So why do we end up time and again at the playground instead of playgroup?

Well here are some of the reasons.

For us at least at this moment the more structured ones are simply too structured for my lively two year old. She gets very excited seeing toys that aren't hers and getting her to sit down and listen to a story or play a game is nearly impossible. Ultimately it usually ends up very frustrating for me. We've only just recently gotten a hold on the tantrums. As those of you who have been through this stage know, you prefer to avoid a tantrum especially in public. Even if a tantrum isn't the result of trying to get my energy filled little one to sit, still a frustrated and tired Mummy IS the result. Chasing, quietly pleading, knowing other parents are watching you hoping your kid doesn't distract their kid or just plain giving you those pity looks. None of this is Sari's fault of course. She's two, she just wants to run and play. A year, maybe two from now, no doubt these playgroups will be perfect for her but as for right now we'll give them a miss.

Now I know it seems obvious why some people avoid the more expensive playgroups but it's not the only reason. First, as you probably already guessed I'm not a big fan spending hundreds of dollars for a couple of hours a week of play but it goes beyond that. Something I've learnt pretty quickly is that children don't care or notice if the toys they are playing with are brand new or a particular brand name. Parents notice but chances are a two or three year old will get just as much use out of a box as the $50 ride on toy that came in it. Free and inexpensive playgroups, in my experience, have just as well trained staff there to supervise and talk to parents as the expensive ones. Now I realise that some of you (some of my friends included) are big fans of these playgroups and please take no offence this is simply how I feel about it for our family.

My daughter loves playing with other kids and I realise that playgroups offer a safe place and weekly routine for her to get that opportunity. So what about the free or inexpensive playgroups that are filled with play and maybe a snack time? This is where we have usually ended up when we have gone in the past to playgroup. Well it basically comes down to this. Is Sari going to do anything she doesn't do at the playground with other kids there or when we go a on play date to a friends house or they come to visit us? Probably not. She still meets other children and plays with them at the local playground. Play dates are fantastic for me as much for her. Often in our living room or a friends living room we mamas can sit down have a cuppa and still be within a few feet of our children in case they need us. It's also a lot less hectic when there a few children playing than the heaps that show up for playgroups.

All of that being said there are many advantages to playgroups. It's a great way to meet other parents and make friends, for your child as much as for you as a parent. It is a safe place for play with usually a lot to do and see. This sort of burn off all that energy time is very helpful for some parents who have tireless toddlers. There are staff there that can offer advice and resources for your family. Mostly it depends on you and your child/ren and what you would get out of it. While playgroups are not for us right now I do think in a years time we will likely find one that suits us. In a year kindergarten will be in our sight and I think playgroup might be a good stepping stone for us then.

Love Passover even though Mummy doesn't

Recently I read an interesting article on Kveller.com (great Jewish parenting website) about those of us who dread rather than look forward to Passover. I am one of those people who does dread it and it was nice to know I wasn't the only one. After reading the article I wrote on my Facebook a status in regards to it and got a few responses. One of the suggestions in response to my complaint that keeping our two year old respectful of the Seder and yet still entertained enough to keep her attention, was to look into buying a family friendly Haggadah and don't make her sit at the table the whole time. I think this is great advice and for next year I will most definitely be on the look out for a family friendly Haggadah.


My problem is, it isn't just the idea of trying to keep my toddler happy during the Seder. This year in particular. Here I am 9 months pregnant and chasing a toddler around, which on their own are exhausting let alone combined but now on top of that I have to scrub and clean every corner of the house. With hubby's work and the long weekend starting the same Friday that we are to have our first Seder I can only ask so much of him. I should note that Passover is his favourite holiday. He has already offered to help with the cleaning and the cooking on Friday but that one day to prep the whole house AND manage all the cooking for the Seder. All I can say is "Oy!" All of this followed by a second Seder and then a week of chametz free food. In the past that has been the worst of it. Seders are nice, especially when I was a kid and Mum did most of the work but those 8 days of no leaven (insert another "Oy!") Am I the only one who gets sick of matzo very quickly?

Despite the reasons I don't look forward to Passover I really want my daughter to love it as much as her Daddy does. I'm afraid that my own negative attitude towards it will show and she'll pick up on that. One of the things my husband and I really want to do for our kids is to make being Jewish fun for them. This is something that was often missing from my own childhood experience. At two, toddlers are already picking up on so much from their parents often without us even realising it. So now I'm asking myself do I simply hide how I feel about this chametz free time of year or do I change my attitude about it? If I wanted to change how I felt about it, could I? How?

So here I am...officially a blogger

First I suppose I should start off with why I'm blogging and what I intend to blog about. I'm blogging because I like to talk...a lot. Sometimes I simply have something to say and no one to say it to. I also find myself blogging because I'm a stay at home mum who really enjoys hearing from other mums and dads about how they go about things. I like sharing experiences, the good and bad, when it comes to raising children. Finally as a Jewish mama in a big city with a smallish Jewish community, blogging helps me connect with other Jewish parents.

As for what I intend to blog about...well anything and everything. Raising children is a unique and (mostly) wonderful experience. Raising children in a Jewish home, one that's Progressive/Reform but sometimes tilting on Conservative is even more unique. I must point out this blog is not meant just to connect with other Jewish mamas (or dads for that matter.) As parents, most experiences we all share Jew and non Jew alike.

All my rantings, regardless of topic are not meant to be a judgement on anyone else's parenting and I'm always open to hearing what you have to say on a subject as long as you keep it clean and respectful.

I'll take a bit of time to tell you the basics about me so you have some idea of the woman behind these rantings. I'm a Canadian living in Australia. The long and short of it is, one day I met an amazing man who happened to be Australian, we fell in love. I married said amazing man, now we have a beautiful daughter and a son due in about one months time. We are Progressive Jews and that of course influences our lives in many ways including the raising of our daughter and any future children.

I hope you enjoy this little look into my thoughts.

JewishMama