A complete guide to interacting with other people's children

Keeping the peace (and your furniture) intact during a playdate isn't that hard if you adopt sound strategies from the beginning

Three Men and a Baby
(Image credit: Film Still, "Three Men and a Baby")

"It takes a village," we like to say. And indeed, busy 21st-century parents rely upon each other for advice, affirmation, and support just as much as our forebears did.

This is all the more true once our little ones move past the age in which only family members, very close friends, and vetted professional caregivers are trusted to care for them in our absence (this is usually around the time a toddler moves out of diapers). And it's only natural for the kids themselves to want to spend more time with their friends, in the homes of those friends… and without us.

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Leslie Turnbull

Leslie Turnbull is a Harvard-educated anthropologist with over 20 years' experience as a development officer and consultant. She cares for three children, two dogs, and one husband. When not sticking her nose into other peoples' business, she enjoys surfing, cooking, and writing (often bad) poetry.