When my youngest child was just two years old the children in the neighborhood started coming over.
It appeared to be that I was becoming the "hangout" house for the kids in the neighborhood.
What makes the kids gravitate towards one home in the neighborhood anyway? Is it the house with the most toys? Is it the one with most snacks, what draws kids to certain homes? Sometimes the kids crave parent involvement and structure which is sometimes created at the "it" house in the neighborhood.
What draws children to certain houses- I think the kids feel more comfortable at certain homes and if parents are an active part of the play date all the better.
Kids love involved parents that provide snacks or are just there to do crowd control and keep everybody in line so that no one gets hurt.
What better way to get to know your children's friends and develop a mutual respect for each other.
A separate play area available that can grow with the kids would be an added plus.
What better way to keep an eye on your own teenager then to have foosball, game table, big screen movie night, etc.
It is important for kids as they get older to have a safe place to hangout with friends so that they don't get into trouble.
I had some of my ten year old daughter's friends over to play in a small wadding pool with my three year old son.
Crazy as it seems those kids had a ball and I discovered a lot about what makes certain kids tick.
In some cases learned more then I needed or cared to know about their parents and other personal situations at home but I was pleased they opened up and felt comfortable at my home.
The power of a freezer pop is astonishing, give a child a snack and provide playtime and they in exchange tell you their life story.
It is so important to be an active participant with you child and their friends.
As parents we need to know what is going in their lives.
They are faced with so many more challenges and dilemma's then we were faced with at their age.
It is imperative to have the door to communication always open so that they feel they could come to you with anything life has thrown at them.