A play date attracts the little ones at Destiny USA in Syracuse.
A weekday morning walk through the fairly empty corridors of Syracuse’s mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA on Tuesday revealed one bustling hallway.
Strollers were parked around the outside of the square. Some parents kneeled on a carpet in the center; others talked to each other while standing on alert in the outer ring.
And children milled about. Those old enough to toddle toddled. Those still relying on the crawl as the primary means of locomotion crawled. There were coloring books and small games sprinkled about, if they wished to partake.
I stopped and watched for a moment.
An organized play date at the mall, or merely a group of parents who decided this is a good spot to let the little ones do their thing?
The former, I discovered, as a woman in control told them all that they’d meet again next week, same spot, same time.
I asked a man behind a stroller what was up.
The store Pottery Barn for Kids had started the event, he told me. But this was the last week of their sponsorship, he said. Yet the woman in charge, Erica, had decided to continue the play group on her own.
Wow, I thought as I continued my walk.
Life sure has come a long way from the days when it was every little kid for her or himself.
Have you ever brought your child to an organized play date? Would you like your mall to have events like this?
Mark Bialczak 
Pingback: 381: Different Ways | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
I think it’s an incredible idea for those who would enjoy it. I don’t think I would have taken my kids to it though.
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I think it’s an interesting spot for a play group, Colleen. Good use of the mall in a community sense.
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when my daughters were small, most interactions and play experiences were unplanned and informal. the kids i teach seem to be all about organized activities. my grand babies go to mall spaces, libraries and other places where there are areas for them to play, where they can have fun and move and interact without fear of bothering others with their energy. not a bad idea, i think.
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It’s good to hear that the structured areas are working for your grands, Beth!
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1. No, unless you count the two years I had to chaperone on his dates.
2. I like the idea of this, especially at the mall when it is cold outside, but these groups are not my cup of tea. Good for those who do like these though!
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I will allow you to count chaperoning his dates, NAPR! These little kids on the rug sure seemed to be having a good time.
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Great!
At first I thought this was going to be about those play spaces in the middle of the mall. I understand why they put them there, but having toddlers yelling in a place that conducts sounds so well can be migraine-inducing.
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No, this was structured and appeared to be educational. There was no shouting.
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Answers to your questions: (1) Yes. (2) I’m not sure. What is “my mall” anyway? I don’t own a mall, Mark. If I did, I think I’d be even more anxious, with less time to blog and read other people’s excellent blogs, like yours. So, thank goodness for that and for this post, too.
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I guess I do tend to take figurative ownership of places I frequent, sort of like my sports teams, Ann. My Dunkin’ Donuts. My diner. My mall. That would make me anxious, running all of these places at once.
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