This afternoon our eldest was supposedto be painting a blown egg for a competition at school. I’m not sure who’s idea it really was to take part - Little Miss 10, or her Mum. I’m willing to bet the driving force behind it was W, who was involved in every club, activity, and production when she was at school, and continues to be now. Take this afternoon for instance - she has taken the younger children up to help do the gardening at the school…
Anyway - there was supposedto be egg painting going on. Only there isn’t, there will probably be hell to play for it, and I’m going to get it in the neck. I don’t mind this time though… you see, there’s a reason.
Little Miss 10 has made her first “real” friend. A friend that is nothing to do with school - a little girl (the same age I think) that lives just across the green from us.
It all began last week - asunny afternoon led to the girls playing in the playpark after school. On my way home I pass the playpark, and heard excited shouts of “DAD! DAD! That’s our DAD!” as I approached. I detoured to the edge of the park, and said hello to everybody, and noticed the girl with long dark hair hanging upside down from the monkey bars with our eldest.
The days since have seen a total change in her, and I am so happy about it I cannot describe.
The little girl who used to sit indoors watching DVDs unless we threatened her has been outside all day- since just after breakfast. I had to go and find her at lunchtime to bring her back in. After lunch she vanished again - only this time returning after an hour with the new friend to go play in her room (it transpired afterwards that her friend had not told her parents where she was going, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt - this is new to her too, I expect).
My favourite childhood memories are of running riot with the kids in the street where we lived. Playing tennis, football, badminton, and any number of other “sports” - usually improvised with none of the correct kit. I remember summers filled with running races, games of hide and seek, climbing trees, bike rides, finding out who could jump the furthest from the swings, and any number of other madcap pursuits.
It’s fantastic to see her make her first friend thatshefound, that she made friends with, who lives within walking distance. While watching her from across the green running back and forth playing some unfathomable game a few moments ago, I wondered how many other parents have stood watching the same scenes unfold with their children.