When we found out I was pregnant, we started looking for daycares in the area. Why wouldn’t I continue to work? On top of the tiny life brewing in my belly, we had a new mortgage, a new car payment, and lots of lovely workmates and a career that I love. But, Ollie had different ideas on how life should be and with his prematurity, we thought it best to keep him out of daycares and the germs they famously promote.

So I haven’t worked full time in almost a year.

In the months since, my family has set me up on a couple “blind dates,” if you will.

Someone in my life has met another mom and thought, “Lisa would like her; I should set them up, they will be friends.”

But I can’t get over the idea that these meetings are essentially Blind Dates. Using the same thought process that might have been used if I were single and looking for a romantic mate, my husband has thought, “This woman could help complete her life, to fulfill her need for a buddy in mommy-hood. This woman could be my wife’s pal.”

They’re odd, these dates. It’s like an interview. The same interviews I went on when I was in the process of meeting my husband. Weeding through the answers to see where our similarities lie, thinking about the things I shouldn’t have said.

The wrong answer will destroy these baby friendships; a wrong word could make me seem callous…or even (gulp) “attached,” and the decision is made right then and there that this match is “not the right fit for our needs at this time.” Or, more pointedly, “you’re not what I’m looking for.”

Like a regular date, I can tell when they go well. I tell my husband that I liked That Mom and the person responsible for the other set-up calls the next day and says, “Oh, This Mom really liked you, she wants to go out again.”

I recall the meeting. I was poised, funny, didn’t burp or fart loudly, didn’t drop the F-bomb and saved my secrets for when This Mom is ready for them. I realize I “still got it.”

The second date is being planned, I worry I won’t live up to my first impression. I’m afraid that spark won’t be there again.

Kinda like my second date with my husband.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 5:03 pm and is filed under MWB. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.