- I am a mother to a 6 year old and a baby, and at 46 I hate working.
- I recently became friends with a semipro ballplayer on the playground.
- Our lives are completely different, but we are happy when our children play.
The playground was almost empty in the afternoon so we decided to visit with my son. I was holding my newborn in both arms, but I had an epiphany: I could use my legs.
While my son was so excited, a beautiful and energetic 3-year-old boy came running, wanting to jump. His caretaker was just a few feet behind him, calling his name.
“Let me push,” she said, watching me balance on one leg in a “Karate Kid”-esque pose to move the park toys while holding a baby.
We started talking, and I learned that he was a stay-at-home dad and his partner worked in administration at a private school. We talked about this and that, as parents often do on the playground when their children are playing.
We see it as the polar opposite
In these situations, the parents communicate verbally—almost like a gentle interview to see if we can become friends. Sometimes I don’t want to make friends, but most of the time the Gemini dragon in me can’t help it; I just want to be loved.
It’s not like dating, except that when you weigh the pros and cons of being friends with your child’s playmates, you also consider them your boyfriend.
When we talked, the topic of health came up. We talked about fitness and nutrition—it was weird, because she was thin and healthy and three months after I gave birth, I had diastasis recti, a condition where the stomach muscles separate after giving birth, causing belly fat and “pooch” that can be difficult to get rid of.
Between telling our son to “put that old candy wrapper down” and “just use nice hands, please,” we were able to hold a conversation, and I learned that he was a semipro football player.
It intrigued me — I like to know people’s stories, but also, when does a 46-year-old mother on the field get to rub shoulders with a 24-year-old football player?
He told me his story: He didn’t take football as seriously as he wanted to in high school, even though he was good at it and it probably got him somewhere, and now he’s tried to connect again. his dream.
We became friends
We talked about the benefits of beets and other health tips, and we bonded. We made game plans and discussed where we were staying and about our teammates, should they meet one day.
Meanwhile, her 3-year-old son and my 6-year-old son became best friends when they met. He is attracted by the power of the individual and his desire to pursue others everywhere. They laughed and squealed with joy over every little thing. Almost without words, they became as close as possible.
While I preferred to sit at the patio table and write, my friends preferred to go head-to-head with other grown men and catch and pass the ball. He told me that he works every day and works in maintenance, but I try to do as little work as possible but have big dreams to come down. My favorite exercise is walking, hers is running. Either way, it works.
If you’re looking for friends, I suggest looking in the least likely places to find them—they’re always there.
Jessica Delfino is a multi-hyphenate designer. She is an entertainer, creative director, social media content creator, mother and host of “The Mom Report” on Pocono 96.7 FM.
