a parenting secret

I discovered another one of those parenting secrets yesterday. You know, the ones that your friends who are already parents somehow forget to tell you. Like the fact that three year olds have a very strong opinion about the clothes they wear, or four year olds sometimes look at you the way you looked at your parents when you were sixteen.
But this ones a goody.
I mean I am almost kicking myself for not having thought of this before now.
A play date.
I am probably a little behind on this, but Elle had her first play date yesterday.
And it was awesome!
She asked us last Sunday night if she could have two of her friends over this weekend. She wrote her friends a little note, and I wrote a note to their moms and they both could come.
Their moms dropped them off at noon and we told them they could come back around 3. (now I wish I said 5) The three of them bounced around the house, checking out all of Ellie's toys and her room and the art room. They painted, played with Polly Pocket and stuffed animals, had a dance party, ate pizza and goldfish crackers and didn't talk to me once, except to ask me to pop the straw into a juice box. A-maz-ing.
When the girls moms picked them up, they thanked me over and over saying how great it was that they had a little free time to themselves on a Saturday afternoon.
I smoothed down my super mom cape and told them they were welcome and we would love the girls to come back anytime.
Because the real secret here is that I sat on the couch for three hours on a Saturday afternoon reading a book. And didn't feel guilty about it once because Elle was having the time of her life.