Playdates were anything but playful for Piper Leslie’s two older children, 10-year-old Kaylee and 9-year-old Kyle. “When we first started playdates, Kaylee was usually the one to have friends over,” she says. “Kyle has Asperger’s syndrome and has a harder time making friends, and I never wanted him to feel left out, so I always made Kaylee include him.” But when fights started springing up between the normally close pair, Leslie knew she needed a new playdate plan of action.
In theory, playdates are supposed to be fun, but visits from friends can spark squabbles between even the friendliest of siblings. From “She always wrecks everything!” to “It’s my room,” scuffles abound as kids jockey for alone time with pals, stake their claim to bedrooms and playrooms, and try to one-up siblings in an attempt to appear cool in front of their friends. Brokering household peace can leave parents exhausted.
Playdate pandemonium
Clinical psychologist Michelle P. Maidenberg, Ph.D., of Harrison, N.Y., is a mom of four who referees playdate problems on a regular basis with her three older boys, 11-year-old Addison, 8-year-old Foster and 6-year-old Wyatt. “It’s a constant struggle keeping everyone happy.”
So why are playdates such a pain? Although kids may fight over fairness and alone time with their friends, the real issue at stake is sibling rivalry. Playdates can set the stage for siblings to feel excluded and hurt, and conflicts ignite when one sibling thinks that he’s been wronged, especially if he perceives that another child is being favored.
When tempers flare, kids often set up parents to take sides. Parents should tread carefully, says Maidenberg, because the time-honored tactic of forcing one child to include a left-out sibling in their play can strain sibling relationships. A child who is forced to include a sibling in a playdate may feel resentful and angry, and direct those feelings at the playdate-crashing brother or sister.
Playful peacekeeping
Happily, playdates don’t have to be breeding grounds for sibling rivalry. Instead, they can be exercises in family problem solving, says Adele Faber, co-author of Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too. Since most playdates are planned in advance, Faber recommends that parents sit down with kids and draw up a pre-playdate action plan.
“You know your own kids; you know if one child is going to want alone time with their friend and the other child is going to be moping around,” she says. “So sit down together and ask them how they can make this playdate fun for everyone.” When kids are involved in creating a plan, they become invested in the solution, Faber says.
Creating a shared plan of action also sends an important message to each sibling: One child doesn’t get to have fun at the expense of another. Every family member has valid needs and ideas. Rivalry diffuses when kids see that they are valued and that one sibling isn’t being favored, she says.
Ideas for inclusion
Planning ahead is ideal, but even the best-laid playdate plans aren’t foolproof. When hectic schedules or weather-related curveballs make planning impossible, parents can keep the peace by finding activities that everyone can enjoy.
Great examples are bowling, ice skating, and active electronic gaming systems like the Nintendo Wii, that allow kids of different ages and skill levels to participate side by side.
Finding a special “job” for a younger child can help that sib join in the fun; for board games, younger kids can be in charge of money or rolling the dice, and for an obstacle course, a younger child can be in charge of the stopwatch.
Leslie found playdate peace when she stopped micromanaging friends’ visits. Instead, she talked with her kids about the importance of kindness and inclusion—and then she stepped back and trusted her kids’ judgment.
Malia Jacobson is a freelance writer and mom of two.
