Making new friends

Don Jackson July 9, 2013 Daddy Newbie, What I learned this week 4 Comments 3,190 Views

I am trying to teach my son how to make new friends. Being 2 years old, and not knowing what to say to someone you just met, can be a difficult and scary experience. I am 40 years old and I’m still not sure how to make friends with people I just met… And, now I am trying to teach my son?

We went to a BK’s playground a few days ago, and there were a few girls playing (maybe 6-or-9-years-old). My son sees them and starts to walk up to them. I think, “That’s my boy, talk to those older girls,” smiling to myself, (in my mind, I’m pretty good at chatting with the ladies; not so much out of it).

Not too long after he walks up to them, the wheels come off the bus. He yells, “HEY GIRL !!” “HEY COME!”

Yea, they ran from him, so he looks at me. I say, “Go and try and talk to them, but try not yelling.”

He walks up to them and starts roaring like a dinosaur–a T-Rex actually–getting louder with each roar. To his great disbelieve and shock…… they ran from him.

So my son comes up to me and says–all dejected, “Dada, they no want to play me.” Then, without missing a beat, he says, ” Dada, they want me chase?”

Awesome, my son is a glass half-full type of person (again, a lot like his dad). Now, here is where the wheels come off the bus for dad.

Fast forward to today, when we went to a dad’s play day meet-up. He met a little girl (21-months-old). He did really well most of the time, sharing the wooden trains that they played with. After leaving the play date we headed to our favorite indoor playground (it was 105 outside). We got some chicken nuggets and some frozen lemonade. After eating he wanted to play, so I took his shoes of. In walked a little girl (7-years-old, according to her grandmother). When she came up to him he said, “Hi” and then asked, “Help. Pleeaaze?”

And, she helped him up the pretty difficult climbing area to the slide. They played for about 15 minutes together, before she had to go. Upon leaving the little girl gave him a hug.

My son who is such a quick learner, and has way more game then his dad will ever have–just showed dad who the real teacher is.