That's right. We were kicked out of playgroup. I don't know why. My girls were clean and well mannered. They played with each other, with the other kids, they had a good time, and didn't cause any problems. The nanny was pleasant and attentive (according to my 'better then a teddy cam' neighbor). My neighbor even commented that she learned some positive disciplinary techniques from the nanny.
And to add insult to injury, we were kicked out of playgroup at our own playground!
This is how it happened:
Recently, upon the urging of my neighbor, I joined the local MOMS club. One of the attractions of said club was a weekly playgroup. Our neighbor and I were excited to have our children participate together, and she emailed me the info as to where playgroup would be each Friday at 10:30. This week, since it was hosted by my neighbor, it was going to be at our private neighborhood association park. Vanessa didn't get my message (thanks, Greg) that everyone was meeting at the neighbors house, so she took Cosette straight to the playground. Twenty minutes later, a mass of moms and their toddlers descended... The Playgroup had arrived. So, Vanessa is pushing Cosette on a swing, and next to her is our neighbor with her daughter, and another mom, known only to Vanessa as "Jimmy's mom", with her son- the aforementioned Jimmy. When, suddenly, Jimmy's mom turns to Vanessa and says "So, you are going to have to find another playgroup."
Poor Vanessa didn't know what to say. Confused, she asked for clarification, but apparently didn't get it. Vanessa felt so unwelcome. A few minutes later Cosette started whining "I want to go home", and Vanessa was only too happy to oblige.
When I got home, she told me the whole sordid story. I was confused. "Did they say why?" Vanessa shrugged. "Did Cosette misbehave?", I asked. Vanessa replied "No, not at all!"
Huh.
So, for lack of any better explanation, I started to come up with my own explanations. And the only thing I could come up with was that Vanessa was a nanny, and this MOMS club was for SAHM's, and maybe that was an issue. Except that she wasn't the only nanny in the group at large, although certainly in the playgroup in question, and I've been reassured in my working-mother-guilt that this isn't an issue.
Then I started to come up with all these scenarios for confronting these women- whom I have never ever met (except of course for my neighbor). The one person I can identify at all is known to me only as "Jimmy's mom".
So, I spent the next few days telling everyone I knew how my girls got kicked out of playgroup. I stewed over it. I did not do the one thing that would have made sense, which would be to call or walk down to the neighbors house and ask for an explanation.
Then my husband invited them over for dinner. When they showed up, we pounced.
It turns out that I didn't actually get kicked out of playgroup, because we never officially joined it. Apparently, there are channels, there are protocols, there are ways to do things, and I did not follow them. Oh, and also? The really simple explanation for this SNAFU? The playgroups are divided by age. Friday at 10:30 is for 3 year olds. My daughters are neither of them 3 years old.
Hmph. Maybe someone should have just told me that at the beginning.
