While dropping off her 10-year-old son at Highbridge Recreation Center in Washington Heights on Sunday afternoon, Flora Huang said she couldn’t remember the last time she and her husband had been on a date. As soon as she heard about Parents’ Night Out, a new initiative from the city to give parents an evening of free babysitting, she rushed to sign up. She and her husband were going to grab Dominican food somewhere nearby and enjoy a few hours of peace and quiet. Their son was less excited. “He was all, ‘I don’t know how fun it’s going to be,’” Huang’s husband said, laughing. “But I was like, This isn’t about you. You’re going whether you like it or not.”
As part of his pledge to make raising children in New York City more affordable, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced this summer that the city would be offering free babysitting for up to 500 kids. For one night only, parents could drop off children ages 6 to 12 at certain New York City recreation centers and get four hours of child care — which, in the city, can easily cost more than $100. “Every parent knows that a few hours to yourself can feel like a luxury,” Mamdani said. “It shouldn’t be.”
At the rec center in Washington Heights, some parents dropping their kids off had dinner plans, but more than one mother said they were excited just to go home and relax, maybe do a little shopping, or get some laundry done. “Every parent needs a break,” said one mom who had just dropped off her 6-year-old twins. “I’m tired.”
Read Erica Schwiegershausen’s full dispatch from Mamdani’s babysitters club: https://t.co/hGsLE4T9QB
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first “Parents’ Night Out” gave New York City parents free childcare for four hours on Aug. 16.
The NYC Parks program offered children ages 6 to 13 dinner and activities while their caregivers got time to themselves.
The NYTimes reported hat some parents went on dates or out to dinner, while others went home to relax, shopped or caught up on laundry.
📸:GETTY
Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty today; one of the things he said was:
“I emailed United Healthcare’s leadership, posing as an investor managing $58 billion. Unlike my other experiences with the company, I was contacted back within 1 hour.”
Damn.
Being in your 40s is wild. One friend is a grandma, one has a newborn, one is celebrating 20 years married, and another is dating a 25-year-old. Half of us look 28, the other half pulled a muscle sleeping. 😂 No timeline, just vibes. 😭