New Buddies

Last week our neighborhood was bustling with activity.  The house next to Mr. Bill (I know that he left months ago, but it will always be his house in our minds) was sold and a moving van showed up in the driveway. It is always exciting to welcome a new neighbor to our little quiet street, but the kids were thrilled when we saw a firetruck tree house being constructed in the backyard. 

Saturday afternoon Timmy was sitting in his favorite tree when he began to squeal with delight. He lept out of the tree and started running towards me, screaming that he saw a new buddy. I looked down the street and saw a young boy riding his bike on our road. Timmy grabbed his helmet, hopped onto his bike and rode off to meet his new friend.

It turns out that our new neighbors have three young kids, ages six, five and three. I only met the dad but he seemed very engaging and nice. While I'm bummed out that there isn't a buddy for Robby, Timmy was over-the-moon with his new friends. He played and laughed all afternoon, falling into bed at night exhausted and happy.

The kids alternated between playing between yards. I stayed outside, working in the yard and hanging out by the firepit. Timmy hasn't had a playdate and I was wary about both his behavior at and comfort with being away from me.  

I wasn't the only one who was nervous about Timmy's burgeoning independence.  Robby came out to sit with me by the firepit with the ulterior motive of keeping an eagle eye watch on Timmy playing in the neighbor's yard. After about an hour, Robby finally surrendered to his big brother protective instincts and walked over to make sure that Timmy was okay and being well-behaved.  Our worrying was for naught.  Timmy was both being delightful and was happily playing with his new friends.

Hopefully, their friendships will continue to bloom and they will all have wonderful adventures playing, exploring and growing up together.