The new mom on the block

It's day one, and I already don't fit in.

I glanced out my window to see the neighbor kids playing on a castle/slide/tunnel thingy that we have in our front yard.  Not wanting to miss an opportunity to have my daughter socialize, I quickly put her shoes on, and we headed outside to play with the kids.  Everything was cool for a while.  I was able to make polite conversation with the neighbor couple and their kids.  The kids were even playing without killing each other (although I must admit, my daughter is very very sneaky when it comes to stealing other kids' Easter eggs).  Then it all went downhill.

Another mom and her kids came across the street to join our impromptu playgroup.  This "Across the Street Mom (ASM)" and the neighbor mom have a whole year or more of their kids hanging out so I was immediately the third wheel.  I might have made a bad move when I turned the ASM's stroller so the sun wasn't glaring into her youngest child's eyes as he flailed about like a just caught fish.  I said, "Oh, I think the sun is in his eyes."  What I wanted to say was, "What kind of mom parks their stroller so the sun bakes their sleeping child like an Idaho potato?"  But being outnumbered, I showed the upmost restraint and went back to playing with my child on the castle/slide/tunnel thingy.

Their older kids wanted to go to the playground.  So, they began to get ready (what a process!), and 10 minutes later, they're ready to go.  In between fits of ASM yelling at her oldest not to run away from her (I don't blame you kid!), I was "invited" to go to the playground too.  I say "invited" because it was clearly a pity invite.  Across the Street Mom looked at me through the dark tint of her designer sunglasses and said, "Oh, you guys can come too if you want."  Oh gee, can we?  Of course we can, it's a public playground!  Don't patronize me, I'm the new mom on the block and my kid will be smarter than your baked potato!

Clearly, it's going well so far.