Max and I took some extra time after school today to go play on the playground. I stood with my mom friends and chatted while our boys had a ball playing on the climbers and slides. It makes me happy to watch Max cheerfully interacting with his friends.
Then I started thinking about our recent struggles with Tyler. I found myself thinking back to when Tyler was this age. I'd bring him to the playground to spend time with kids too. But unlike Max, who can charm his way into any group, Tyler often had/has problems relating to other kids. Instead of giggles and fun, I'd observe this:
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| Waiting to be noticed. |
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| Playing on his own NEAR kids. |
I found myself welling up with tears. I had sunglasses on, so I don't think my friends noticed. I wanted to tell them how much I appreciate their friendship and how great their kids are, but then I would have totally lost it. Max treasures his friends. So do I. It's a small miracle that I witness every single day that most parents probably take for granted.
Say a little prayer for us as we wrangle with ongoing issues at school. They want to take our beloved square-peg eldest boy and ram him into one of their perfectly organized round holes. We know it's not going to work but we have to show them that they can deal with all kinds of pegs, with a little effort and flexibility. It's not about shaving off his corners and making him fit! It's about tossing out the stiff old mold and replacing it with something soft and pliable (like play doh) so that pegs of all shapes will work. Flexibility, people!
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