KIDPLAY CAFÉ
KidPlay Café. The exterior of the building is almost
contradictory to what’s being advertised in the name. From the outside it
appears to be bland, serene no sign of life in sight. Leading you into a
misconception of what’s going on behind those doors.
Nonetheless I take a chance and go in; after all I have
children? Check! They want to play? Check and I’d love a coffee? Check! So with
my mental summing up done I head towards KidPlay.
On entering I’m taken in by the instant sense of warmth
and friendliness from the adults present, mixed with the right balance of children’s
laughter and the odd toddler tantrum thrown in for good measure. I immediately
feel that we could easily be here for sometime!
I do a quick scan of the room trying to assess how the
place runs. In one corner there are a group of mothers huddled round a small
table with a couple of small teapots and a number of cups that never seem to
run empty. One mother clearly has a sweet tooth judging by the saucer stacked
with granola cookies in front of her! They are all dressed quite casually, flat
shoes and trainers, no heels in sight. Hair and makeup has obviously taken a backseat
to the daily routine of getting the kids ready for school on time!
They are chatting away about a plethora of subjects from
holidays planned, to birthday parties coming up, the new teacher at school, the
wellbeing of someone called Sarah whose father recently passed away and the
latest diet fad everyone seems to be trying. Throughout this they all maintain
one eye on their little ones, who are joyfully playing in the soft play area. Every
now and then a mother will drop out of the conversation to issue a warning to
her misbehaving child while another assures her child that, "yes we're
going home soon" and another tells her nagging child for the fifth time
that, "no you cannot have another Milkyway".
In another corner there is a mother sitting alone glued to
her laptop and a mobile phone attached to her ear. I get the impression that
she's not quite ready to surrender her old life to this new motherhood routine
and as a result she is clinging on to her career through emails and phone
calls. She is immaculately dressed, pristine French manicured nails, L’Oreal
“because I’m worth it” shiny, glossy shoulder length hair. I glance around
wondering which one of these children could possibly be hers as she hasn’t once
glanced up to take a concerned look of supervision.
And then there are the two young teenage mothers. They are
crowded around the photo studio corner determined to have their child’s photo
taken no matter how long it takes, it seems they need this to gain confirmation
that of course their child should be modeling, everyone else says so! Their
children are dressed in the latest Nike trainers, Juicy Couture clothing from
head to toe, their hair is looking slightly messy from all the playing they’ve
been doing. Their mothers are desperately trying to slick the sides down with a
lick of their fingers to prevent a messy hair photo! Sadly its quite clear that the children are more
interested in climbing to the top of the jungle gym and are in no mood for having any photos taken of them, especially as they've done at least 50 so far! How much more do
they need??
I watch the staff serving food from the counter to a
constant stream of parents and the little ones, they appear friendly, kind and
a smile never disappears from their face. I notice a couple of local businesswomen
who are cleverly maximizing the opportunity of tapping into the ‘mum’ market to
gain customers for their business. One a Beautician offering mani/pedis,
eyebrow waxing, massages; whilst the other is selling cards, books for children
and many other trinkets and keepsakes. Business seems to be slow evidenced by
the way they rush to the door every time someone enters to ensure a flyer is
handed over.
Then it strikes me that KidPlay is not really about the
children, it’s a haven for parents in particular mothers. The mothers who have
just picked up their little ones from the morning session school run, not quite
ready to go home and face the piles of ironing, washing and cooking that
awaits. They have found a common interest with one another and a commonplace they
can come together and still maintain their friendships over a coffee knowing
that their children play safely close at hand.
The woman on the laptop has found an unofficial playgroup;
she can bring her child here and forget for a few hours that she is 'mum' by
immersing herself in her Wi-Fi corporate world.
The two teenage mothers who cant be bothered to research
nurseries in their areas and would rather stay at home than go out looking for
work, at least their kids are able to play at KidPlay once a week and practice
for their future modeling career!
For me, well it’s a nice way for me
to see my twin boys interacting and playing with other children. It’s also a
great place for writing material; there are endless untold stories to find
here...
