I didn't have to worry about playmates for my older three children. They had each other, and most of the time a herd of others that I tended for daycare. Conor lives a completely different lifestyle than they did, and sometimes I feel sorry for him. I mean, we do plenty together, and he gets lots of interaction, but I wish he had a little sister, to be honest.
When the big kids were in Arizona, Conor was terribly lonely. As soon as was feasible, I invited some friends over for a playdate. Two little ones, a brother and sister. Conor could barely stand the anticipation. We made a list of things they could do together when Leilani and Drew arrived. Legos, Pictureka, a snowman ornament craft, playing kitchen, etc. When they arrived, they wanted to play kitchen right away. Conor seemed upset.
"What's wrong?" I asked. "Playing kitchen is on your list and they seem to love your kitchen."
"But Legos is first on the list!" he said, exasperated.
Oh dear, I'm afraid his lack of spontaneity is my fault. I stick to lists too. But he relaxed with a snack, which he offered first to his little buddies. So many things to learn: manners, going with the flow. . . it's exhausting to be 4.
I wanted to have a little craft for the kids to do, so I came up with this snowman ornament based on an idea I'd seen in Family Fun magazine a while back. They loved it.
So we can't wait till Saturday, and hopefully Leilani will love her little purse!
2 comments:
What about putting a "Robin" hair clip from Lyndsay inside the little bag?
I'm finding that I have the same problem with my little Dan Dan. He and Thomas are nearly 7 years apart... and Katie is 3 years older. AND, all his little Primary friends are already in kindergarten. The poor little fellow is stuck with me still. But our MW pre-school is his beloved school.
I have an only child. We constantly call friends and ask if we can "rent-a-kid" - we will pay them to watch their kids so ours has other playmates. ;) We also always take friends with us to the zoo, museums, even camping trips. It is just the way we roll.
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