Los Angeles
CHANGE MY LOCATION
Joe Schatz
Parenting ExaminerJoe Schatz is the man behind Joeprah.com and the proud stay-home father of three daughters. His take on parenting has drawn praise from national media, and his daughters think he's alright, too.
Examiner Feeds
These websites were picked by the Parenting Examiner as useful resources.- How to Destroy an Annoying McDonalds Toy
- Teen Pregnancy: Why the U.S. Lags Behind Europe
- Help at the Grocery Store: A Great New Product
- Is Jamie Lynn Spears OK?
- My Kid is Smarter/Stronger/Better Thank Yours
- It's Hip to be a Pregnant Teen
- This Just In: Toddlers Clog Toilets
- Happy Father's Day You Lazy Alcoholic
- Teacher Tapes Kid to Desk
- MADD: Lying to Teach a Lesson
- Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
- Equality in Education
- 2 Teenage Girls Think They are Paris Hilton
- Alex Barton: An Update
- Stay at Home Dads: The Unintentional Feminists
- Can a Single Dad be a Mom too?
- Kindergartner Voted Out of Class
- Lawyer turned Stay at Home Dad turns Writer
- You and Your Voyeuristic Child
- Over Involved Parents
- The Playgroup Play Along Game for Dads
- Dead Beat Dad Ordered to Pay $700k in Back Child Support
- Toddler Word of Day: Pinanno
- Is Your Baby Hitler
- Mr. Mom's Day
- Working Smarter Not Harder: Laundry
- A Dad's Guide to Playgroups
- What Traits Moms Associate with Good Dads
- Picking a Winner
- Word of the Day with Professor Toddler
- Stay at Home Dads Underfire
- Lollipop Land
- The Incident
- Throwing Away Your Children's Art Work
- Joeprah: An Introduction
- Don't Perpetuate Deviate: Dads as Caregivers
National Examiners
Gaby Cora
Workplace Health Examiner
Most Recent Post
Screen For Depression When in Financial Stress and Economic Crisis
Workplace Health Examiner
Most Recent Post
Screen For Depression When in Financial Stress and Economic Crisis
Darrell Proctor
Business Examiner
Most Recent Post
Free cable part of Comcast's plan as digital deadline nears
Business Examiner
Most Recent Post
Free cable part of Comcast's plan as digital deadline nears
A Dad's Guide to Playgroups
4 comments
by Joe Schatz, Parenting Examiner
As a stay at home dad I found out pretty quickly that:
Playgroups are lady-folk-code for "Gossip Session"
I would have to say that I am battle-tested at this point when it comes to my expectations at "playgroups." No longer do I go into the melee expecting to come out unscathed or for that matter wanting to return. In my earlier years as a bold faced rookie I went into playgroups innocent without expectation. Let me explain, I thought the point of "playgroups" was to let the kids interact with one another under the watchful supervision of the parents present, but what I came to discover was that the "playgroups" that I frequented centered around women gossiping and eating while I tended to the kids. Every once in a while I would sit on these intellectual round table discussions based on what TV hunk was yummiest or why some friend (not present) would wear something like she did. Time, in a situation like this for a guy, does not move. The ladies would invariably ask me not to tell "so and so" what was said about her. My response is always the same in that situation,
"Your secret is safe with me because I don't care."
It was like I got stuck at the girls table at lunch time back in middle school.
Community Playgroups
I actually was asked to run a community based playgroup in my initial year as a stay at homer and agreed citing rookie blindness. I was in charge of setting up toys in community center with mats underneath all of which took me about 30 minutes. I did this while I watched my 9 month old, and it wasn't easy. After all was said and done I opened the gym and let dozens of families in to slobber over ever toy and splat mat I put out. During the two hour gym time I would maybe get 5 minutes of interaction with any of the parents (see they were all moms) in the place. It was as if I didn't exist.
You're welcome.
Advice:
Are you a stay at home dad or a dad that is home on occasion with his kids? Are you just starting out in the playgroup game? My advice to you is go to them for your kids and if any stimulating adult conversation or interaction comes from it then stick with that group. Otherwise, keep your options open and always be looking for another gig. Also, another great bit of advice is to host playgroups occasionally at your place. That way the ladies feel less apt to talk amongst themselves and ignore you. Make a big deal out of it. Clean your house and give the ladies nothing to talk about later on (because you know they will). Provide everything from coffee to fruit salad and bagels and watch the eyebrows rise. Carry on.
For more from this Examiner you can check him out at his homepage here.
Topics: fatherhood , parenting , moms , dads , parenting humor , children , playgroups
Subscribe
FeedComments
More from Parenting Examiner
Palin's Folly: Parenting Meets Politics
Topics: teen , pregnancy , Sarah Palin , Bristol Palin
Sharing History with Your Family: The 2008 Democratic National Convention
Topics: DNC
How to Destroy an Annoying McDonalds Toy
Topics: parenting , parenting humor , mcdonald's
Teen Pregnancy: Why the U.S. Lags Behind Europe
Topics: parenting , teens , portrayal , pregnant women , teen , pregnancy
Help at the Grocery Store: A Great New Product
Is Jamie Lynn Spears OK?
Topics: parenting , portrayal , teen , pregnancy
My Kid is Smarter/Stronger/Better Than Yours: Comparitivitis
Topics: parenting , children , comparitivitis , hyper parenting , comparisons
It's Hip to Be a Pregnant Teen
Topics: teen , pregnancy , gloucester , juno , The Secret Life of The American Teenager
This Just In: Toddlers Clog Toilets
Topics: toddler , toilet , plunger , bathroom
