Chaos Coordinator
09-06-2013, 08:49 PM
I took the kids to McDonald's today to play and there was a five or six ear old boy running around roaring, growling and hissing at everyone. My four year old said he was scared. IMO the kid just wanted to interact but didn't know how to initiate - btdt with my own son - and this kids dad was totally ignoring him while on his phone (and not the only one - the place was festering with the sludge of absentee parenting). So I told my son "maybe he wants to play with you but doesn't know how to ask. You could remind him to use his words."
My sweet little boy sat down next to him and said "hey do you just wanna play wif me? Lets play together." And the kid went from hands and knees lion posture, claws reared, to sitting on his bottom with relaxed shoulders, facing my son and said something like "sure. I just didn't know you. Now that I know you I will play with you."
:heart then my little boy introduced himself and the other kid did not seem to know how to reciprocate. Ugh. I was getting more and more mad at the dad :shifty for not giving his son a little social guidance.
But MY eyes teared up watching my FOUR year old navigate that situation so graciously. Four years of my life spent pulling him off of other kids, tellin him to stay out of their faces, to stop roaring and hissing, coaching him through the rough spots and giving him scripts to use instead, and telling strangers and so called friends alike to take a long walk off a short pier if they couldn't figure out a way to not hate him - and today he made it look totally effortless. It was such a beautiful reminder of WHY gbd is important to me, and why I have worked and am working so hard to teach him, help him, guide him, and assign positive intent.
:hearts
My sweet little boy sat down next to him and said "hey do you just wanna play wif me? Lets play together." And the kid went from hands and knees lion posture, claws reared, to sitting on his bottom with relaxed shoulders, facing my son and said something like "sure. I just didn't know you. Now that I know you I will play with you."
:heart then my little boy introduced himself and the other kid did not seem to know how to reciprocate. Ugh. I was getting more and more mad at the dad :shifty for not giving his son a little social guidance.
But MY eyes teared up watching my FOUR year old navigate that situation so graciously. Four years of my life spent pulling him off of other kids, tellin him to stay out of their faces, to stop roaring and hissing, coaching him through the rough spots and giving him scripts to use instead, and telling strangers and so called friends alike to take a long walk off a short pier if they couldn't figure out a way to not hate him - and today he made it look totally effortless. It was such a beautiful reminder of WHY gbd is important to me, and why I have worked and am working so hard to teach him, help him, guide him, and assign positive intent.
:hearts