Friendship

We had some of the kids friends from our homeschool support group over today. We spent the entire day including dinner with these two wonderful boys! I was amazed at how well the kids played and got along - there were no fights, no problems and they really enjoyed one another's company. I had 5 kids here today and believe it or not 3 of them napped at the same time! They all helped clean up and we spent much of the day outside in the pool and on the slide.

One of the things I love about homeschooling is the opportunity for the kids to play and get to know kids of all ages. Rhiannon was playing with a 7 year old boy for much of the day and often the four of them would all play together or sometimes you would find an older child with a younger one - either helping them or just playing together.

They took turns helping get the younger ones on the swing or pushing them, the helped Ciaran find a toad (his summer obsession), they all played the games the younger ones requested and they just had a good time together. In many ways I did not feel like I was watching them because they kept themselves so entertained. Most of the time Sirah and I just sat nearby and I focused on playing with her in her little pool while they played next to us.

Occasionally I needed to remind one of the younger children to use their words instead of scream and remind the older kids to listen to their words and respect them. For the most part though they were able to work things out themselves. It was an enjoyable day for me too.

Peace,
Tenn