Post Play Date

[StepMum87]

We've just returned from a picking up my DSD (6) from a play date and having the biggest of melodramas that ended in lots of tears and some stern words.This seems to be a pattern when she returns from anything social.

Is this normal? Should I be worried?

A bit more detail if anyone is interested (this is my first posting).

She was happy when we left and full of beans as normal in the car ride home. We got stuck in traffic and she dozed off. When she stirred bringing her in from the car she started whinging and making a fuss about watching a film (what we would normally do on a Friday night) we said no which just led to tears and melodrama and us having to repeat no. This ended in the naughty corner for her. DP is just settling her.

A lot of it I would put down to her being tired, but she does get teary and whingy whenever she returns from a play date or party. And it's definitely becoming a pattern.

i think it's perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. i think it is the excitement of being somewhere new, over excitement, nervousness about a new situation, a break in routine. i used to find my children would get over excited and show off when they had friends round.

I think play dates can be very tiring. My ds is better when he plays with his friends at the park or soft play rather than at their house/our house. It is less tiring because he finds it much easier. If he is going to someone's house, or someone is coming here, I do my best to keep it to a couple of hours at most. It will be less tiring as they get older.

Sounds fairly normal to me - especially when she has just dozed off as well.

Can you put in place a short routine when she gets back from somewhere - so maybe a banana, and a short "film" - I'm thinking Gruffalo Christmas special, so a 30 min thingy, before carrying on - so time to chill after the excitement?

My kids tend to be on their best behaviour on playdates etc but then let it all out when they get home. I think for kids is actually really hard to hold themselves in and then combined with tiredness it can easily end in tears. Would it help to pick her up a bit earlier?

DS behaves like this every day after school. I put it down to tiredness and a release of pent up energy, maybe it's that?

Maybe she's been trying hard to be on her best behaviour during the playdate and combined with the tiredness its all coming out now?

Sounds totally normal and understandable to me. She'd been out, was tired, probably a bit over-excited, been on her best behaviour and was expecting the comfort and wind down of her usual routine. Some kind of compromise (short film as a pp suggested) would probably have worked better than a flat "no". Perhaps next time try to pre-empt bad reactions to changes in routine following excitement with an advance agreement/discussion of what the changed routine will look like.

Thanks everyone.