For most of us parents, there are few things more stressful than helping our kids make friends. Of course we understand the need to have a robust friend group, but it also comes as an added stressor. Playdates involve reaching out to other parents (which can be a nightmare for introverted parents), coordinating schedules, and then having to prep. But what if one of those steps was made a lot easier?
Parents have figured out a hack to reduce the awkwardness of trying to set up a playdate — they're creating business cards their kids to hand out to potential new friends, taking away the need for that initial interaction. For many, it's a total lifesaver.
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It's actually a really brilliant idea.
Influencer mom Vanity Rodriguez shared the trend on her TikTok after her son brought home a playdate business card.
"If you’re an extroverted parent with an extroverted child, I think this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life," she said in the video. She shared that the card contained the parents' contact information, a picture of the child, and even their Roblox username.
"A lot of times when our kids want to play with other kids in class we don’t have their information," she pointed out, adding that she was "definitely going to text the mom."
These cards have become a business for some moms.
Brianna Mullally is a mom and former teacher who started making business cards for her oldest child after they moved to a new city. Now she sells them in her Etsy shop, Partyof4STL.
"As the mom of an extremely outgoing kid who wants to invite everyone over, I love the playdate cards," Mullally told the New York Post. "It is so much easier to have him hand a card out than write information down or awkwardly stand there waiting for a phone number."
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The cards can help take the guesswork out of planning.
Lori Rich, who runs the Etsy shop Farthest Star Studios, thinks handing these "cute" cards out, makes planning a playdate a lot easier for parents. In her experience, parents have gone beyond simply adding their phone number or email: they include days their children are available for playdates, usernames for gaming, and even allergies.
"I’m able to pack them in my bag and just hand them out when I meet a parent. I’m always met with positive feedback from the other adults about how much easier it is to do it this way and how cute they are as well," she told New York Post.
Her daughter is a big fan of the cards as well. Rich said her daughter "thinks it is very cool that she has her own business card and loves being able to hand them out herself."
Parents are totally into the idea.
On Rodriguez's video, many parents praised the idea of the playdate cards, and the convenience they would bring for parents.
"Hoping to get the details on how the mom did that because my daughter is an extravert and I'm an introvert lol so this would HELP," one mom wrote.
"Well now I’m going on Canva or word to make a play date business card because my daughter always wants to talk to me/visit her little friends and I’m like I have no info girl," another mom wrote.
"I add these on goodie bags and gift exchanges during class parties," another parent commented. My son now has a solid group of friends he can count on for play dates! They are actually coming over tomorrow."
"I know you said extroverted parent w/ extroverted child but im an introvert and so are my kids and THIS is perfect for us Introverts," someone else wrote. "I would imagine it would easier for extroverts just approach."
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