School's out for summer - School's out for ever... not really and Nate's been out a few weeks already, but it's always fun to sing that song. The big news is that we had a play date or two. I know, crazy! I was both excited and nervous since we haven't had too many of those - especially with people we just barely know. On the positive side we had a great time - the negative is we haven't gotten together again. Hopefully soon.
The first playdate was at a nearby splash park. We met some of Nate's classmates for a picnic and some goofing around. The second was at a different park and we met two of Nate's tball teammates. Having some grown up conversation with other mom's was quite enjoyable for me. I definitely plan on doing it again soon, weather permitting. It's been quite hot here for the Seattle area.
The interesting thing was that I got my first glimpse of watching your kid in a somewhat difficult situation. I must admit I'm not looking forward to many more of these even though I know there will be a lot more - it's a part of parenting life I guess. So as most of you know Nate is a little on the shyer side with other kids. If he doesn't know the kids at all he pretty much goes the other way. Since these were his classmates he warms up quicker. I'm always curious to see how he is going to do in social situation because I don't get to witness it too often. I'm always pleasantly surprised by the way. He can be quite chatty and outgoing once he is warmed up.
Well, at the first play date two of the boys are pretty good friends - they are neighbors. They are also about 6 months younger than Nate. This makes Nate a bit of a 3rd wheel. Now these boys are just being 3 and they are as inclusive as you'd expect. After a little while I saw Nate go up to one of the boys and ask, 'Want to play something?' and the boy kind of just looked at Nate. So Nate asked again ' Do you want to play chalk?' and nothing really happened. I just sat back to see what would transpire. One, I was super proud that he actually took some initiative and asked a kid to play. I haven't ever seen that so it was very cool. School last year really did bring him out of his shell. Second, I didn't want to over mommy - he has to find his way around a playground and people. What was funny is that he then looked at me. I got up and went over there just to kind of move things along. About a minute later some girls brought over a caterpillar and the whole scene was over. He loved hanging out and watching the older girls. They were the sisters of his classmates.
But, it was hard to watch your little guy try something and not get the reaction he was looking for. He is too young to really care and didn't seem moved by it a bit, but it got me thinking to school days. What do parents do if their kids can't make friends or get teased etc. It must be hard. You can only do so much. I hope as a parent I'll be able to recognize if those things are happening and also make sure Nate (once he can understand the concept) is as inclusive as he can be with everyone. Now, while I was thinking about this stuff, Nate could've cared less and had a really great time.
We have a long ways to go social wise, but I'm just happy we actually have people to meet at a park - its a huge step for me (I'm as scared of people as Nate is haha - genetics I guess)
