I've had other moms say it's OK for me to pick their kids up from school for a playdate . . . when I've never even met them. Won't happen with my children. I don't allow a parent to pick up my child, and I do not drop them off at someone else's house, unless I know the parents very, very well. So, if I ask you to fill out a survey before having my kid over about whether you smoke, have guns in the house, or casually drop the F-bomb, don't be surprised. I'm kidding . . . kind of. The truth is, I would rather have my kids play with fewer other children than drop them off at an unfamiliar house and regret it later if something happens that I'm not comfortable with. Before you write me off as a nut, consider that early on in my motherhood career, I found out about an unfortunate incident involving my daughter being pressured to pull her pants down at a new friend's house. Let's just say I'm not apologizing for being overly cautious from now on.
