I don't have to go to the YMCA.

The YMCA comes to us! Well, actually it comes to the park that we go to every morning.

For the bulk of my childhood I was a Y kid, so I was delighted on Tuesday when Y on the move showed up at the park. I thought to myself, "How cool is this?" A traveling YMCA! "You come every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday?" Nice!

I sit back and watch as the Y staff spends time with my lil' man. Even though he doesn't grasp playing catch, jumping rope, kickball, frisbee, etc.. They go out of their way to involve him in everything they do. They already know his name and give him a boat load of one-on-one time. He has no qualms with soaking up the attention.

Today was the third day of Y on the move at the park. And the third time I've had an annoying interaction with a stay-at-home mom. These interaction go something like this:

Stay-at-home mom stands on the sideline, grasping her child, protecting them from interaction.

mom: Is your boy part of this group?
me: Uh. It's the YMCA on the move program. Everyone can participate. They're here every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Isn't that awesome?
mom: Well. Did you know about such and such (today it was a playgroup co-op) that you can take your boy to?
me: I just moved here, so I didn't know about _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Thanks for telling me about _ _ _ _ _ _ _, I'll look into it. Have a nice day.

The stay-at-home mom, perplexed, walks away with her child not having participated in Y on the move.

Internally, my mind goes ape shit. Maybe the stay-at-home mom just hates sports. Perhaps, she doesn't want her child interacting with the "free lunch" kids. Is the YMCA a class signifier? Does this mom really think her child is going to experience diversity by looking at it from the sideline? Is everyone welcome at your little co-op?

All this fades out of my mind, as I watch my lil' man enjoy life.