My Twice Baked Potato

We had a play date yesterday.  It was the first of the summer and for my TBP it was a big deal!

He woke up at 6:00 am and started the count down. “3 1/2 hours until he gets here!”  He hopped around the house like he was on a pogo stick and quickly got himself dressed without reminders. “3 hours and 15 minutes until he arrives!”  This is said with wide eyes and a high pitch voice that would make most dogs howl.

Although I understand his excitement, this is a lot for me to take at 6:15.

My TBP began to map out the visit. “We can first play a little PVP and then I can show him some of the servers that I have found and then…”

“Hold on, mister!  You can’t plan everything because he might have his own plan.”

He is still jumping from room to room, “I know!  I know! I know!”  I know that some of you, know exactly what this looks like because you see it in your own home!

If this play date was with a classmate, I would have been worried.  I would have thought about how strong he might come on and how intimidating this could be.  Luckily, the date was with the boy who was the lone guest at last year’s Mine Craft party.  I know this mom well and we are both forth coming with our own parenting struggles and insecurities.

“3 hours!  Just 3 hours more!”  At this point, I make sure that I have taken my own vitamins and Rescue Remedy so that I have my nerves in place when the door bell finally rings.

“Listen…you have got to conserve some of this energy or you will be exhausted by the time he arrives!”  I talk him into sitting down for breakfast and he eats despite giving me updates about the ETA of his buddy.  I choose this time to remind him of some rules about staying out of my bedroom and not tormenting the dogs.  He listens despite his continued obsession with the time.

After what felt like eternity, the doorbell finally rang.  “He’s here!  He’s finally here!”  The two buddies were thrilled to see each other!

When we opened the door, I noticed that both boys were wearing their Mine Craft t-shirts from last year’s birthday party.  The funny thing was that neither one of them noticed, or if they did…they didn’t mention it.  There was a minute of disappointment when my son realized that he hadn’t brought his computer, but the boys quickly worked out a solution using the iPad and taking turns with the one computer when necessary.  There were Mine Craft parodies and tutorials to explore.

The visitor’s mother and I sat and rehashed the end of the school year.  This year’s visit was mostly about successes instead of last year’s “worry fest” and strategizing.

The 2 1/2 hour date races by and ends pleasantly where they both wished it could be longer. I laughed to myself as I saw my son’s buddy hop away with arms flinging and a smile on his face.  It was clear that he had enjoyed himself as much as mine.

I think we are off to a good summer!