Wanna play?

"Can I play?" *shrug* "Yeah!"

BFFs, done.  When you're small it's easy to make friends.  Share your toys.  Show an interest in somebody else's toys.  Smile at somebody, give them a little wave.  Chase somebody.  "You're it!" and run away- sorted!

Try those things as an adult- I dare you!

Making friends gets a bit harder as you get older.  I have some lovely ones.  Ones from way back and some new ones too- I still get lonely.  I love my time with Crazy and Pip but I'll be honest, I find the conversation somewhat lacking.  By the time Mr T makes it home at the end of a long working day we catch up on the children's antics, his day, discuss what's for dinner (we never know and if I don't prepare something by the time we're ready for bed it will be a microwave meal for poor neglected Mr T and a packet of crisps for me.  I'm not even sorry- judge away!) there's precious little time or energy for anything more.  Sometimes Mr T will try.  He will ask what I think of whatever has been in the news that day, or my opinion on an article he has sent me, or what would I like to do at the weekend but I'll be honest- unless you're asking me to name an engine from 'Thomas and Friends' the answer is usually 'I don't know'.  That's my specialist subject for Mastermind alright, I could give Crazy a run for his money and that boy knows his trains!  So inevitably we drag ourselves upstairs to bed, ready to begin another day before the lack of sleep drives us out of our tiny minds.  Some of my friends are at home like me, with young children.  Some for other reasons.  Some are working, with or without children.  Rarely do our schedules match up that we find ourselves bored and/or lonely at the same time.  When that happens to me, I usually head out to the park.  Crazy is happy to oblige and occasionally even Pip will happily go along with this plan and have a well timed snooze.

So there we are at the park, Crazy completing his twentieth circuit- climb, slide, run, repeat.  Pip happily tucked up asleep in her buggy.  Other children playing happily in little groups, parents gathered in cliques, watching over their charges- or not, which really riles me but I digress.  I spot another Mum.  Her son looks about the same age as Crazy and I can hear a crying baby.  The baby sounds very young, the sound is very similar to Pip's cry and I feel the tension as she tries to divide her time and attention between the two.  I want to call out, "I know! I know how hard it is! You're doing so well! Don't feel bad, babies cry!" but of course I don't.  That would be weird.  As I follow Crazy around the park, wishing I'd made a bit more of an effort, chosen a nicer top, at least washed my hair, we find ourselves side by side next to the climbing frame.  Our boys are jostling for first turn on the slide as we both chastise them and tell them to wait their turn.  We share a moment- we have similar parenting styles! Hoorah- what a relief.  Maybe we could be friends.  I'm feeling brave, I strike up a conversation...

"How old are your two?"

*facepalm* I've just asked the equivalent of the dating line 'Do you come here often?', now I seem needy.  However, she politely replies and confirms my suspicion that our children are of similar ages.

"Do you come here often?"

Oh no.  Oh I said it.  I must absolutely reek of desperation.  But wait- I'm saved! Her son approaches a very angry cat which makes a grab for his sleeve and she rushes to the rescue!  I've never been so pleased to see an animal attack- apart from my obvious concern for the small boy, I'm not a monster!  I watch helplessly as she chases the boy, who chases the cat, who chases a duck. Her baby cries.  In her haste to rescue her son she left her baby right beside me- her tiny, round face turning scarlet as she searches for her escapee dummy.  Do I plug her back in?  Do I try and soothe the baby and risk being looked at as a child snatcher?  Do I ignore the screaming baby? I think about what I would want.  My precious first born- don't you dare, nobody touches my child!  My second?  Please- please make it stop.  Cuddle her, feed her, bounce her just please make the crying stop for a minute, my son needs me and I can't stand the guilt of either of them being upset!  I go for it- I plug her dummy back in, sing her a merry little tune and bounce the buggy along with Pip's while watching Crazy revelling in the glee to have sole custody of the slide.

She returns, enthusiastically reminding her son just how fun the slide is compared to a silly old, grumpy cat.  She looks over panicked, remembering the baby (I've forgotten too in the past- just for a moment, when she's quiet- it's so rare an occurrence) and she smiles, a smile of relief if ever I've seen one.  The baby is snoozing, just like Pip.  She returns for her buggy and thanks me- good call.  We did it!  We helped, we reached out and helped.

Our sons part ways, we both glance in each other's directions.  It's clear we both want to talk more but our fast moving males have other ideas.  Pip stirs, it's time for us to leave.  As we're leaving the park I take one last glance over my shoulder, toward the other Mum.  She is waving, I feel happy.

Maybe next time I'll ask for a phone number- I'd better think up some better pick up lines first though.  That or start travelling with a very angry cat in case the need for future distraction arises.