A few weeks ago, one of our mama friends was telling her two kids to wrap it up at the playground because they were heading home. 

Both of the kids were having a really hard time. The mom looked defeated and sad for her two kiddos who appeared to be dysregulated.

My friend, Jenn, handed me her baby and walked over to the mom and asked, “How can I help?” 

Meanwhile, my own little guy started crying in the stroller and another mom swooped in to grab him and shush him for a bit. 

I write this with tears in my eyes because this is the kind of community I had been craving for so long. 

Sometimes when I feel homesick for California or wish our family was closer, I think about this community we’ve cultivated for ourselves. Right here on the playground. 

Last week, I had Ishu and Riyaan at the playground by myself. And, before every single mama left to go home for the evening, they checked in with me to ask if I needed help buckling Ishu into the stroller. Or if I needed them to hold Riyaan so I could help get Ishu ready to head home.

I, of course, have a hard time asking for help. And I legitimately thought we were in a good place and Ishu would have no problem leaving the playground with all his friends gone. 

Well, he was TOO eager to leave. And he started racing out the gate to head home before I could follow. One of the mamas looked at me and said, “Keep an eye on Theo!” as she raced out the gate to bring back a squirmy little Ishaan. 

I don’t know how this happened. 

I don’t even think it was intentional. 

But somehow, over the course of the year, we’ve become a group of playground mamas that congregate in the evenings and watch over each other’s kiddos. 

I feel a little nervous about what winter will bring when we all hang out indoors to hibernate. This summer has been so good to us and I feel this sense of community that I have not felt since becoming a mom. And it feels SO GOOD. 

I’m sure it will take intentional planning and I will probably need to be a little more motivated than I was in the summer. It was easy to just show up to the playground and hang out ’til the sun went down. 

Now it’ll be a little gloomier and will take a little more effort. 

But so glad to have this foundation to build upon. 

Playground mamas have my heart. 

Feel so grateful for the playground mamas that have made this year so special.