Let’s look at a new combination, brought about by the little kings and queens of the house.
To begin with, it’s very rare for a father or mother not to be proud of their children and to love them, even if they’re a bit of a handful or little rascals.
So we have the perfect topic to break the ice at any meeting we’re at.
Most parents I know, myself included, carry a photo in their wallet or on their phone and love showing it to friends and professional contacts. If you carry an iPad, you can even show a whole photo gallery if you like.
On the other hand, we parents like to share tricks, tips, places or discoveries to brighten up our little ones’ lives. From a fantastic milk that helps them digest well, a good paediatrician or specialist doctor, a nursery or school, a hairdresser… to places to eat out or spend the weekend.
Those of us with a little one at home are always thinking about what to do at the weekend to enjoy time with them, so don’t hesitate to share interesting things with other parents. Personally, I rely a lot on a magazine that is also online and on Twitter, “Sapos y Princesas” (“Toads and Princesses”), and you can find it on Twitter here.
Speaking of Twitter, it’s the perfect place to share with your network what to do with the little ones, to ask them or to tell them what you’re up to. The champion here is Sebas with his “perfect moment”.
Other friends I follow on Twitter who talk about their children are Joshua Novick, Alejandro Suárez, Enrique Burgos, Javier Martin and Mauro Fuentes.
Little ones help you socialise, if you want them to, and you have two options: keep to yourself, or overcome your shyness and break the ice with other parents.
I, of course, am one of those who break the ice, and that has its benefits.
You can take your child to football on Saturday, and when the match is over go home, or you can mingle with the other parents and, after the match, go for a few drinks with several parents and kids to celebrate the win and spend hours chatting away.
You can take your child to a birthday party, drop them off and come back two hours later to collect them, or do as I do: stay on as the entertainer, paint their faces, make up games with them, help make sandwiches and serve soft drinks, and so on.
At the weekend you can go off on your own with your partner and your child or children to the usual shopping centre, or during the week you can call friends with children the same age as yours and organise something together, whether it’s going to the zoo, an amusement park, Micropolix – which is also 2.0 – the natural science museum, the Retiro park, a country cottage or, better still, a hike in the mountains.
My go-to book, highly recommended: Excursiones para niños por la sierra de Madrid (“Excursions for Children in the Sierra de Madrid”)
A great discovery for holidays with children this summer was Cala Montjoi: the kids have a whale of a time at the mini club, the mini disco every night, shows and games, and we parents can relax over a coffee in the restaurant with other parents.
Another interesting place I’ve found out about through a friend is a summer camp called Tatanka, where you can follow your children’s activities on Twitter, Facebook and so on.
In short, there are always a thousand original things to do with your children, and even better in good company.
Happy Networking!
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