The parenting divide

There is a gross misconception that parents are snobby elitist. That we go around purposely excluding non-parents with our ‘war’ stories about breastfeeding, sleepless nights, teething woes, diarrhoea dramas and what-have-yous.

The truth is it’s the non-parents who are cutting us out. My friends make plans to catch the latest movie – at midnight. Or they say we should do a girls get together – in Bali. “They don’t get that everything we do is four times the cost and hassle,” laments Chrissy, a mother of two, about her non-parents friends.

It’s not we parents except our non-parents friends to stop having fun just because we are now saddled with strollers and diaper bags. But hey, once it a while, couldn’t we lunch at a kid-friendly place where they give out crayons and activity sheets? That would be nice.

And trust us; we don’t always want to talk about school, discipline problems and where to score the cheapest milk powder or diapers. It’s just that you non-parents won’t let us get a foot into your fabulous, fun and free lives.

So cut us some slack won’t you? Lunch at Marmalade this Sunday? I’ll bring my own crayons.