My Big Boy
I'm not sure how I should be feeling right now. It's so hard to describe. But I'll explain what's been happening the past few days and maybe sort through it.
We live in a great neighborhood. There are a good number of kids, but ours are the youngest. Just a few houses down from us and across the street are two kids, Mason and Brody. Ryan has decided that Brody is his best friend. Apparently, Brody has also decided the same thing. The thing is that Brody is about 4 years older than Ryan is - and watching them play together is pretty funny.
Ryan now watches out the window and if he sees the neighbors garage door opened, he knows that Brody is out playing. It's been up a lot this week because it's Spring Break around here. As soon as he sees that the door is up, he grabs his shoes and wants to go outside to play. He's completely obsessed with playing with the big boys.
Two days ago, while Megan was taking her nap, I went outside with Ryan - of course he saw the the other boys playing and wanted to play too. So I let him. We talked about how to cross the street safely (not that he gets that yet) and to make sure that Brody says it's OK play. While I sit in a chair on our lawn, Ryan goes across the street to see the boys.
He stood on the street for 15 minutes in front of the house before he got the courage to go on the lawn and get closer to the boys. I could almost see his thought process. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask, but he really wanted to play too. (I was still sitting in my chair, just praying that he would be brave and say something.) Mason, Brody's older brother, had noticed that Ryan was there, but didn't do or say anything.
Finally, Brody came out from the back yard and saw Ryan. He instantly put his arm around him and brought him into the group. I cried. It was the sweetest gesture that Brody could have made. Ryan played for about an hour with the boys and had a blast!
He still doesn't understand that if Brody has to go inside or can't play that he'll get to play with him later. In fact, the next day I let him go over again, and when Brody had to leave for an appointment, Ryan came home crying. He thought that it was all over. He said, "But Brody is my best friend ever!" I'm not sure that he completely understands yet how it all works, but right now, he LOVES being with the big boys. Brody and his mom both know that Ryan is still learning about crossing the street and all that stuff, so they watch out for him - thankfully!
So how am I supposed to feel about this? I love seeing Ryan having so much fun and learning to be social with the other kids. But at the same time, I don't want to see him go there. Maybe it's just that I don't want him to grow up. First we sign up for pre-school in the Fall and now he's playing with the neighbors. What next, driver's license and mission call? eeeeek!
We live in a great neighborhood. There are a good number of kids, but ours are the youngest. Just a few houses down from us and across the street are two kids, Mason and Brody. Ryan has decided that Brody is his best friend. Apparently, Brody has also decided the same thing. The thing is that Brody is about 4 years older than Ryan is - and watching them play together is pretty funny.
Ryan now watches out the window and if he sees the neighbors garage door opened, he knows that Brody is out playing. It's been up a lot this week because it's Spring Break around here. As soon as he sees that the door is up, he grabs his shoes and wants to go outside to play. He's completely obsessed with playing with the big boys.
Two days ago, while Megan was taking her nap, I went outside with Ryan - of course he saw the the other boys playing and wanted to play too. So I let him. We talked about how to cross the street safely (not that he gets that yet) and to make sure that Brody says it's OK play. While I sit in a chair on our lawn, Ryan goes across the street to see the boys.
He stood on the street for 15 minutes in front of the house before he got the courage to go on the lawn and get closer to the boys. I could almost see his thought process. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask, but he really wanted to play too. (I was still sitting in my chair, just praying that he would be brave and say something.) Mason, Brody's older brother, had noticed that Ryan was there, but didn't do or say anything.
Finally, Brody came out from the back yard and saw Ryan. He instantly put his arm around him and brought him into the group. I cried. It was the sweetest gesture that Brody could have made. Ryan played for about an hour with the boys and had a blast!
He still doesn't understand that if Brody has to go inside or can't play that he'll get to play with him later. In fact, the next day I let him go over again, and when Brody had to leave for an appointment, Ryan came home crying. He thought that it was all over. He said, "But Brody is my best friend ever!" I'm not sure that he completely understands yet how it all works, but right now, he LOVES being with the big boys. Brody and his mom both know that Ryan is still learning about crossing the street and all that stuff, so they watch out for him - thankfully!
So how am I supposed to feel about this? I love seeing Ryan having so much fun and learning to be social with the other kids. But at the same time, I don't want to see him go there. Maybe it's just that I don't want him to grow up. First we sign up for pre-school in the Fall and now he's playing with the neighbors. What next, driver's license and mission call? eeeeek!
Labels: Random Musings, Ryan's Adventures
posted by Marni @ 12:53 PM
1 Comments:
At April 17, 2009 5:24 PM ,
Andrea U. said...
The art of parenting is really the art of letting go....Little by little, allowing the child to take on the responsibility for himself that you once had. What a brave thing for you (and for him)
Good Job Mommy. It's a tough lesson to learn, I am still learning...
~Andrea
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