Our kids need playdates!

Yesterday, we had a birthday party for Max, who's turning seven. I invited all of the students in his class and most of them came. Max's glee was out of control. He squealed the second he saw one of the kids coming up the walkway, and he didn't stop the entire party. We hired a clown for the event, who did magic tricks, made balloon puppets and did tattoos. Merriloons was fabulous!

It was absolutely amazing to see all the kids so happy.

A few moms told me how grateful they were for the birthday. "We don't get a lot of opportunities like this," said one. And that kind of bummed me out. Why shouldn't these kids go to parties? Why shouldn't they get together and play more often?  What is wrong with all of us, that we spend so much time catering to our children and caring for them, but then neglect to make playdates for them? And, yes, I speak for myself here. I guess it's partly convenience—the students in Max's class don't live right near us unlike, say, the little girl across the street Sabrina hangs with. I guess it's the fact that, unlike Sabrina, Max doesn't demand playdates. But, really, it's a shame.

I told a lot of the moms I'd like to make playdates, and I will.

Ellen blogs daily at To The Max.