A Little Buddy Luck & Good Judgement

Oh my goodness, after months of school, I finally reached out to the mother of one of Chica’s favorite little friends at school to set up a play date (wait, hold up—Chica kindly mused aloud the other day that “play dates” are probably for babies, so this was just coming over to play, ha.)

And the net/net is that it was a wild success!

I’ll post some pics but I try to be conscious of not posting close ups of other kiddos’ faces, so here ya go:

I mean, we bouncy housed (yup, it’s a verb), we painted, we walked to the creek to fly the kite and poke in the “seaweed,” and we just had so much fun. Seriously.

And both girlies were so excited in the days leading up to it that it was so stinking adorable!



I mean, it honestly makes me wonder why the heck it took so long to sync up, but sometimes these things just need to marinate. And this—this was perfect timing. :)



I mean, we often have people over—and it’s become easier as Little Man has aged to visit other people’s home, as well. So we’ve definitely had our fair share of play this year. But it’s often been through parental connections, so it’s a total joy to see this new stage of kiddo-driven fun emerge for us.









So.

To make this into a larger-subject kind of post—friends, and parents of friends, and parents of kiddos I wish were friends (or kiddos who aren’t friends but parents who are), are all things that have totally been on my mind lately.

Because it’s becoming increasingly evident that, even at such a young age, our children are gravitating toward the friends of their choosing, and though we can steer a bit (by allowing or not allowing outside-of-school contact), some things just have natural momentum.

Which is why I am ridiculously grateful for the couple of closest friends Chica has made at school this year. 

Because all on her own, without my involvement or awareness, or even my ability to witness any of it firsthand, she has befriended some really lovely, kind, polite, encouraging children. And I am just so grateful for whatever kernel of internal judgment led her in those directions.

I mean, this parenting stuff is hard.

Especially when it comes to discerning behavior and intentions among children you don’t really know and rarely get to interact with—usually based on secondhand reporting from a five-year-old!

We all know that young kiddos can be good children, but still make poor decisions based on any number of things. Sleep, or lack thereof. Growth spurts and mental development in varying degrees from classmates. Family influences. Outside influences. Classroom dynamic. And the list goes on and on (and on).

And I hate to say it, but even in stinking kindergarten, within Chica’s class, there have been behavioral issues and mean-girl mentality problems, and I so often find myself wanting to wrap my kiddo (and her blissful, happy, mental innocence) in bubble wrap to protect her from all of that—for at least a few more years.

But.

That’s just not reality.

Dealing with oppositional personalities is part of life. And learning the positive ways to navigate those people and situations is just as important as any textbook education she will receive.

But that’s the key in our household—learning the positive ways. Focusing on the positive things. Surrounding ourselves with positive people and giving little due to the negative that can drag everything down.

It’s worked so far, so we’re gonna keep plugging away!

And I’m gonna try my mommy-best (despite schedules and commitments and just crazy life) to keep focusing on these beautiful, blossoming friendships as we stare down the barrel of summer.

So, to summarize my random rambling:

Yay for kind friends!

Yay for happy play (non-dates)!

Yay for initiating more outside contact before summer hits!

And, yay for making in through Hump Day, ‘cause, man, has this been a randomly busy week. I’m tired!

Over and out.