Fun Fact- I really don’t like playdates. And the older I get, the less I push myself to have playdates for my kids. Well, really just Boeden. The others have thankfully outgrown playdates. Yet I rationalized avoiding playdates by saying my kid’s don’t need playdates because they have each other, despite an 11 year age gap and two in completely different states 9 months of the year. Playdates are really just another one of my hang-ups. I worry that the visiting kid won’t have fun. So I go to ridiculous lengths to have fun activities arranged- which totally defeats the point of a playdate.
At school conferences this winter, Boeden’s teachers said he could really benefit from playdates with his peers. Noted. (I admit I have given in to him way too much, cause he has worn me down. So it’s likely he subscribes to the ‘my way or the highway’ mentality. And kids probably don’t like that!!)
Well, this past weekend a classmate invited Boeden over for a playdate. Boe was nervous, so I invited the classmate over to our house. It went fine…until the end. They saw a squirrel outside the glass doors from our basement, and it appeared trapped. I went down and it was definitely injured; and therefore could not get up the concrete steps. Boeden’s friend LOVES animals. And was definitely concerned- potentially traumatized - by the poor squirrel dying at Boeden’s house. His mom definitely had to work to get him to leave- and I promised to send updates on the squirrel. We called Lance, who strongly suggested we just leave it alone. So Boeden and I went and got a bowl of peanuts and a bowl of water, a box and a towel and lowered them down into the stairwell. And then Boeden took one of our security cameras and set it up so he could watch our new pet squirrel through the night.
Boeden came to me 4 times between 8pm and 5am worried about the squirrel. Lance and I already had Boss, with his cone on, nuzzled between us in bed, so we took turns going and laying with Boeden. (It’s truly crazyville over here!)
When we went to check on Mr. Squirrel first thing the next morning, I thought the squirrel was dead. But alas, he started moving, but was definitely worse than the night before. (Or he was so full from the gigantic bowl of peanuts, he could barely move!! Not sure which!) Boeden had another playdate scheduled for later that morning (I am on a roll!!!) and he was very excited to introduce her to his new pet!! Turns out the little girl LOVES animals too! I was petrified that the squirrel would die while this little girl was here for the very first time. I finally decided to look online as to what I could do to help this ailing squirrel….and turns out, Fairfax County has an “Injured and Orphaned Wildlife” department. I called them and they were at our front door within 30 minutes. As if planned, we had our first activity of the playdate…we all marched out back with the man in full bullet-proof clothing, armed with a grabber. Nothing else, just a grabber. He snatched up the writhing squirrel, flopped it around to look for injuries, and started walking back to his truck with the squirrel dangling off the grabber. He told Boeden and his friend that he would “take it to the vet and see if they could help him”....I was about to ask if there was a way to get an update on my little squirrel, but then realized I have enough pet issues currently, and we waved good-bye to Mr. Squirrel.
Good news is- Boeden’s playdate loves animals, but also loves to bake. So I gave her a box of cookies and invited her back another day to make challah. I'm hoping she left with happy thoughts of cookies and not the visual of the dying squirrel hanging from the grabber!
PS- We are posting this from Lil's Conference Meet- so great to finally see my girl! I think she was embarrassed by the amount of baked goods I brought.....but I think her teammates will be happy!
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