Sick but happy child

So after a busy weekend of birthday activities, A has succumbed to the crud that has been running rampant on our little island. Monday morning she was fine, by afternoon when she came home from art class she looked miserable, and had spiked a temp of over 102. My poor baby was miserable. Loaded up on medicines, fluids, movies, books, and pillow pets, she settled in to recuperate. Today was better, still a fever but lower, and she definitely was more to her normal self. She still spent a good portion of the day relaxing, reading a lot of books, and creating scenes in her room.

I am thankful that at least she was well for all her birthday activities, and I am really thankful for the friendships she is forging lately. She spent the entire afternoon Sunday with a friend...playing playmobil, creating scenes, reading books, and scraping their cheeks with tooth pics to analyze their cells under the microscopes we have. A told me that it finally feels like her friends fit her like her clothes fit her. Many of you will remember this analogy she shared with the developmental psychologists when she was almost 4 "I just want friends that fit me like my clothes fit me, but all of my friends fit me like too small clothes", and his response of "Of course they don't fit her. Would you put a 2nd grader in a class of preschoolers and expect the 2nd grader to find great friend fits? No! That's the problem here."

While A can play, and does quite well for limited times, playing with kids her age, she socially and emotionally is at a 7/8 year old level, and when she gets these chances she shines. She enjoys herself so much and they do to. It is neat to watch true friendships develop. My child told me yesterday. "Mom I am not just having friends now, I am having relationships." Oh what she has always been seeking. And the age of these friends, a just turned 8 year old and a 7 year old. They accept her for who she is and they share so many of the same interests, that hours spent together pass quickly by full of enjoyment for both of them.

Now this is not to say that she doesn't have friends her age or younger....she does, but it is to say that the deeper level of friendships she has always longed for is finally in her reach and she is thrilled. This is one of those reasons I love homeschooling. She has the opportunity to interact with kids of all ages, not just other 4-5 year olds in her classroom and is able to find her true fit. I am a happy mom because I see my child truly happy in a way I had seen her hurt for so long.