Whether you love or hate playdates, you can't deny they're somewhat of a necessity. After all, we want our children to interact with others, make friends, become productive members of society and learn how to "play nice." Some moms take a "hands on" approach to managing playdates successfully and then, well, there are ways every lazy mom handles playdates; ways that are anything but "hand on," if you ask me; ways that make these necessary interactions less stressful, less time-consuming and less, well, of a pain.
I remember my fair share of playdates as a kid, at many of my friends' houses as well as my own. Some of these playdates were one-on-one while others were in larger groups. Each of my friends' moms had a different style that helped them handle these playdates and, as a kid, I definitely enjoyed some of their styles more than others. Now that I have my own daughter and I'm hosting playdates of my own, I've realized that that's the beautiful thing about playdates: kids get exposed to different parenting styles that can help them gain a new perspective, learn to accept differences and just, you know, get along with people who are raised differently than they are.
Each mom is entitled to choosing her own way to parent and her own way to handle playdates. Yes, you have the care of another child in your hands as well as your own, but being "lazy" does not mean you are being negligent. It simply means you are taking a more distant approach to your presence in their playdate, picking and choosing your battles and, well, probably doing the following: