i haven't even had coffee but i really want to give some parenting advice
make yourself known in your kids school, especially grade school, especially in the classroom. i used to go to work a little late so i could read to the class. volunteer in the schoolyard, at lunch, school trips, at special events so you can get to know the kids, the teachers, the other parents first hand. the more they see you the more they pay attention to your kid. trust me on this.
be very careful about sleepovers. are there older siblings in the household, are there step parents there. my nephew revealed years later he got molested by an older sibling on a sleepover and frankly, i think it affected his entire life since then. have them at your house if need be. better yet ,don't have them at all because then you have to deal with reciprocal shit.
regarding playdates, always ask if there's a gun in the house, just so you know. i don't really like playdates either until i get to know the parents because you would be amazed at how weird some households are.
try to only use family and friends you trust to babysit your kids. when my first was born, i had a traffic court date and had to leave my baby with someone but no family or friends were available. i made the mistake of leaving him with someone i didn't know, a friend of a friend kind of thing. he was three months old. i felt really bad about it but had to. when i went to pick him up, he was lying on the dirty carpet without a blanket on the floor, his little jumper was black by the feet and knees, his nostrils were crusted from crying and when i went thru the kitchen on my way out i noticed an old dried up drumstick bone on the floor. needless to say, i was literally shaking when i left.
anyway, that's it. my pearls of wisdom from raising 3 kids. i'm sure parents here know most of what i've said but even if there is one little nugget you take away from this its worth the risk of everyone's derision raining down on me. protect your children, they are depending on you