Our neighborhood is full of boys. Without thinking too hard, I can think of 6 boys besides Michael between the ages of four and six. At least three of them will enter kindergarten with him. Well, if I decide to send him to kindergarten they'll go off together.
For a complete contrast, there are no other little girls in the neighborhood. On the occasions when Ava finds a great playmate at the park or in a playplace, I so enjoy watching her bond with other little girls. I really do need to find a regular playmate for her. Completely by coincidence, we ran into a preschool classmate of hers at McDonalds a couple of weeks ago. The girls played together beautifully and we lingered well longer than usual to let her play. I made a point of introducing myself to her parents and exchanged email addresses with her mother. We met once more a couple of weeks later, but I haven't heard from them since.
Yesterday we ran into twins (boy/girl) from Ava's preschool class at the park. Again, I made a point to introduce myself to their mother and exchange email addresses. I dutifully sent an email expressing our openness to setting up a playdate.
To be honest, the entire process feels a little artificial and awkward, but I do it anyway. I want Ava to have the opportunity to develop friendships and this feels like a first step. If I decide to homeschool, I'll need to reach out to a new community of people and try to provide opportunities for my children to interact with other children in settings other a traditional school. I suppose this is good practice. I just wish it felt a little more natural though. A bit of ongoing success would be nice too.
I'm right there with you. My twins just turned 3 and I don't have close friends nearby with kids that age. I'm such an introvert that I struggle with meeting strangers with kids. I intend to homeschool so I know I have to come out of my comfort zone for their sake.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to hear from someone else who is also considering homeschooling. Let me know your strategies for networking with other families with young kids when you get that far. Good luck!
DeleteThank you. You are both very encouraging and motivated. Do you know? We tried this much because you were here. Can't think without you, how can we pass these days?
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