We spent this weekend with friends who have three girls, ages three, five and seven. When Max was little, it was hard for me to spend time with friends and their kids—I was always comparing him to them, which inevitably made me feel bummed out.
I don’t do that anymore, but lately I’ve been grappling with another issue: how to make sure Max is included when other kids play. These days, he really wants to join the gang. Only other kids don’t always feel the same. Like this weekend, all of a sudden he started shouting and making swatting motions at the other kids. “He’s just playing monster!” I said. Only they weren’t into it. My friend encouraged her kids to play with Max, but as you know, you can’t really force it.
How have you handled this?
Ellen blogs daily at To The Max.