 |
| Handball, Trashpacks, Minecraft? We don't care, we love him anyway. |
I'm constantly gobsmacked by our little microcosm of the world. And my life really is a microcosm. I don't profess to have many wider world views. I can't add too much value to the world at large, but I can add loads of value to my kid's world, their experience of it and how they view it. So that's where I keep my focus.
Until they don't need me anymore...sniff.
Today I've been given a lesson in group dynamics by my 7 year old.
Joshie today gave me an analysis of the groups of kids he sees at school.
He told me how he is in the 'handball' group. He sits with them at recess, lunch, and plays with them before and after school. He says there are a few boys in this group who do most of the talking. And he says he mainly keeps quiet. He's worried they won't laugh at what he has to say, and he's worried they might just ignore him.
Some friends I reckon. He says when he plays handball, he does OK, he just doesn't get much of a look in with the talking part.
So I suggested he play with some other kids. I asked him who else he might hang out with.
He said there's the 'Trash Pack' kids. Apparently, they all have the latest series of trash packs, the garbage trucks, the street sweepers. He says he could join them but without the latest series he'd feel unprepared and behind the times. I asked was he sure they ALL had nothing but the latest series? He said he was.
Personally I think that's bollocks, knowing how most Mums in my experience feel about spending much money on plastic crap. I said as much (gently). He said he'd stick with the handball kids.
There's also the minecraft kids. They talk up their exploits on Minecraft. They are apparently really good at it and play it all the time and talk about nothing but Minecraft all lunchtime. He says he's not as good as them, and he isn't allowed to play it that often (my fault, clearly) and anyway, he reckons they all play it on their computers (I only let him play it on his iPod, when I do allow him).
I suggested they weren't as good at MC as he thought, knowing as I do many other families share our strict no screen during the week decree. I thought he might try hanging out with them. He said he'd stick with the handball kids.
I assume there's also a group of kids who just run around and play tip. There always is. I'll ask him about that tomorrow.
I told him if he wasn't happy with the handball boys, or if he felt uncomfortable, he should go and hang with the trash packers or the minecrafters. Or any other group he could find. He's named blokes in each one who he likes, and who like him.
But for now, he says he's sticking with handball, except some clown kicked his new Manly Sea Eagles ball into the bushes at lunch and he lost it. See what I mean? Not so lovely. He's determined to stick it out though, bless him.
And I thought life was tough at 41.
