Have the Playdate

In our Wednesday night women’s group at church, someone fairly new asked if we had mom cliques—like a group of working moms who were ignored by the stay-at-home moms, and vice versa. We were astonished by this little factoid.

Back then, I would host playdates and invite everyone with kids around the same age. One year, we had twenty-five kids here, along with five to seven moms.

It wasn’t anything fancy. We just let the kids run wild—splashing in little pools, digging in the sand, and swinging. They always had a blast. They ended up muddy, dirty, and needing to be hosed down from head to toe—probably dunked in a tub of Zest a dozen times! But it was worth it.

For us moms, it was a time of fellowship, laughter, messes, and food.

Our table for friends is U-shaped—meaning there’s always room for more. It’s never closed, and always growing. That’s what our playdates reflected. We wanted everyone to feel welcome. Especially moms. We wanted them to feel included, loved, and like they belonged.

Nowadays, things are different. We don’t have those playdates anymore. The kids are busy discovering what they love and growing into themselves. But I cherish those playdate days and highly encourage anyone who has the space to do it.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. You don’t need to prepare anything. Just let them run wild and free.

It’s worth it—to connect, grow, and feel loved and included.