It was an unseasonably sunny and warm Sunday for Fall, and we decided to take full advantage of it by going for a family drive. No set destination, no goal in mind other than just to spend time together.
It ended up turning into a few errands that my wife wanted to run while we were out, but the overall day was devoted to just going ‘wherever.’ By the afternoon, ‘wherever’ was a playground so that we could all enjoy some sun, some warmth and the little guy could have some fun.
When we got there, there were two little kids (a brother and sister) already present and playing – the brother was one year older than our guy and the sister the same age. Though our guy, as seems to be the case, was twice the size of the fellow two year old.
It was fun to see him so quickly make friends and easily play as if he had known these kids all along. Funny how we adults have such an awkward time engaging in new social relationships, bogged down by lifetimes of inhibitions, fears, experiences, when these children have the world before them, and all it takes is a simple ‘hi’ to head down the path to fun, play and friendship.
For the little chatterbox (which we’re quite proud of) that our guy is, aside from introducing himself, he became a bit more quiet on the playground, usually lost in his own little world (such as picking up piles of pebbles and pouring them onto the swing instead of actually using the swing), or following the 3 year old boy around and wanting to do whatever it is that boy did. If the boy walked up the slide, our guy wanted to walk up the slide (even though he’s never attempted it before). If the 3 year old boy wanted to do the small rock wall, our guy wanted to do it.
It was completely an afternoon of new social engagement, new challenges, but most of all, fun. We spent a good amount of the afternoon there and just as easily as he made friends with these kids, it just as quickly came to an end, without issue. No emotional losses, no crying that things were changing, just…carrying on.
That simple hello that led to an afternoon of play ended with just as easily a ‘bye’ as the brother and sister left with their family members and we stayed on, playing on the slide.
I’m often amazed at how much more adaptable children are than we adults as situations arise, change, etc. If we could all only capture and hold on to that as we grow older.
The Dorky Daddy 