Play Dating Questions

So my neighbor tells me her kid has a “play date” today and it got me thinking about how little I know about play dating…can I call it that? Being without children myself (other than the four legged ones) I have questions!

Here’s what I want to know….

Who gets to pick the location? Is it the kid who has the best toys or the mother with the most booze? Are there typically snacks involved? Who is responsible for feeding and repairing any broken skin, bones, or feelings? Do both parents have to stay for the date? Is that a date in itself? Or does one get to go? Cause if one gets to go…then this is just a way mothers have found to scam other mothers out of free babysitting!

If there is a toy dispute…is the favor with the play dater because it is actually his toy or the play datee because he is a “guest?” Is there a ref in place to settle such disputes? Or do you just go with the “whoever had it first” theory…in which case I guess it would default back to the play dater since it is his toy and thus he was technically in possession before the play datee. (That can be argued either way so I guess the smartest kid would win.)

Now what if a kid isn’t in school and thus doesn’t have any friends in place…how does he find a “date?” Is there a site like Match.com for play dates? Is there like a list of things they like or deal breakers? I can see the profiles now!!! “Tommy enjoys picking his nose, eating foreign objects smaller than his fist, and terrorizing small animals.” “Suzie likes to cut hair, microwave her Barbies, and play quiz games for which she has already memorized all the answers…children who smell like feet need not respond.”

These are things I want to know!!!