ModernMom: To Bowl or Not to Bowl

I’ve never been one to particularly enjoy social team-building events. It’s not that I’m not social or, for that matter, that I’m not interested in building community in the workplace, but social work events can feel a bit forced (I’ve just been in meetings with you all day but now that we’re all dolled up let’s talk American Idol). At the risk of sounding like a nerd, I’ll admit that I prefer team-building activities that pose challenges to be overcome, puzzles to be solved, or ideas to be brainstormed.

Now that I’m a mother, these feelings have only intensified. The thought of spending an evening kibitzing with colleagues rather than playing with my children feels somewhat invasive. So when I recently was invited to a work bowling party, I thought of every reason in the book why I couldn’t make it. Unfortunately, I’d already used all of the obvious excuses and reluctantly agreed to attend. I did, however, promise my 4-year-old that I’d be home in time to read him a bedtime story. Well, who knew that the appetizers would be so tasty? And who would have thought that I’d actually enjoy bowling? And you know what? I do like talking about American Idol! At 7:00 when I had to leave in order to fulfill my bedtime story promise, the party was still in full swing and I have to admit, I was sad to go. Next time I’ll be careful about making promises I might not want to keep.