DH set up play date with random man in park

[BFPDec21]

He obviously had a kid with him but he's took his number for the playdate. DH has never seen him and our DC does not know the child other than playing in the park today.

I can't work out if I'm being overprotective.

YABU - This is fine
YANBU - This is weird

@HunkyPunk

I spent the best part of an hour last week huddled at the top of the big kids' climbing frame with another mum as our DC were egging each other on to attempt it

Why didn’t you just sit on a bench?

. Good question!

There is a steep drop down a fireman's pole on one side of the climbing frame and it was slippery from the rain so we were sitting in front of it to block the hole. Climbing frame in question is really intended for much older children but unfortunately it's easier to get up than down!

So is he planning on dropping your child off at this mans house and leaving him? Because otherwise, he made a new friend - you don't get to be the boss of who he is friends with

YABU.. Have you not watched Bluey?!

Seriously though, as others have said, if mums can do it, why not dads?

Admittedly I haven't swapped numbers at the park before, but I have at a music group, toddler group and soft play.. Including with the grandmother of a little boy my DD was playing with. We used to get together regularly as the grandmother looked after the boy on one of my days off from work, including playdates at both our houses. Weirdly though, I still haven't met the boy's parents

This is how DS2 met his best friend and how I made one of my best friends. DS2 was playing with a little girl in the park both aged 3. I swopped numbers with her Mum and yesterday they went to town together to buy books aged 14 😁

YABU This is totally fine. If I met another mum in the park and we got on and had kids of a similar age, I'd totally swap numbers to arrange a playdate at the park or somewhere else - why should it be any different for guys?

My DH does this and I think it's great. I'm socially awkward as fuck, so I appreciate when he finds "parent friends" for us.

Yabu. I met a mum at soft play and we got chatting and swapped numbers. We met up again two weeks later and now we're good friends. It's not gender specific.. Lay off him a bit.

Your husband is making a dad friend, the way mums make mum friends!

Why is this strange, your DC and DP had a nice time playing in the park with some friends they've made. They plan the meet again, this is how Mum's socialise so why not dad's, he's hardly going meet other dad's at a breastfeeding cafe.
Give him a break and be thankful he's widening their social circle. You might even get to meet the mother and make friends too!

He’ll have met someone like my DH who finds a new friend every time he leaves the house.

Who are the more than 350 people who think YANBU?!

I live in South London and no one ever spoke to me at the playground. The only nice friendly woman I ever got speaking to was at an aqua park when I was on holiday in Spain. We got on really well and I almost asked for her number as she was also from London but I was scared she would think I was a weirdo!

"No such thing as a stranger, just a friend you haven't met yet!"

@Valmur The ones without friends? :)

Maybe you should try and make friends on your outings, OP? For your child's sake? It's lovely that he's liaising to meet up again at the park so the child has someone to play with.

@Mummadeze

I live in South London and no one ever spoke to me at the playground. The only nice friendly woman I ever got speaking to was at an aqua park when I was on holiday in Spain. We got on really well and I almost asked for her number as she was also from London but I was scared she would think I was a weirdo!

Glad it’s not just me that lives in this parallel universe then. I couldn’t imagine a group of mums ever inviting me over because I was on my own; that has never happened ever, and I’m usually in the park alone and my oldest is now 10, it’s rare that another mum has spoken to me as most keep to themselves but none have ever asked for my number, It certainly depends where you live.

I met one of my best friends in the park.

Of course you are right to worry about strangers, but as long as the parents are there and you get to know them bit by bit it should all be fine, and may be very special.

I met my now best friend of 15 years exactly like this. Perfectly normal.

I have met the majority of my mum friends in the park/playground!

You're being a bit weird OP, sorry.

FFS there’s only one thing wierd here and that’s your reaction. To think you started a whole thread about this. I hope for your sake he doesn’t find out you’ve done this because if I were him I’d be wondering what kind of woman I was married to.

I would be very surprised if my DH made friends with a random dad in the park. I'd not like to think that he'd invite a stranger here with their kid or take the kids to a random House.

My kids friends cane from school, church or clubs etc and random people we met in the park.

Please ignore those who feel it is 'weird' to be protective of your child/ children. I think it's fine for adults to meet up and make plans.

My kids friends came from school, church or clubs etc and not random people we met in the park.

I think it's fine for adults to meet up and make plans but I'd not include my kids in that.

Sorry lots of typos.

We've done this. Gone to the park/ swimming etc and the kids have hit it off, and swapped numbers to meet again. Or one of the kids have asked if they can play together again. I didn't think it was odd at all. Some friendships lasted some fizzled out. Met up together for a while got to know them then felt okay with playdates at houses.