The First Play Date

It was like Popeye asking to hangout with Bluto.

One afternoon Ty asks if he can have a play date with Jake. The kid who for the last three years has caused more crying incidents and bruises than all the other kids in his class combined. But apparently, after all this rivalry going on, the boys finally realized they are among the oldest in the class and have more in common than not.

So it was with great trepidation that I agreed to the concept. Plans were solidified with Jake's Mom and we headed over to their house one recent Saturday. Now mind you, these kids have known each other a long time, but I've never seen them play nice together. When I got to the house I hung out a while and snapped a few pics of them playing in the backyard with his older sister. Then suddenly an awkward moment came: his Mom told me I didn't need to hang out and I could come back later.

She clearly realized by my expression that I wasn't 100% cool with that. I have never left Ty alone with anyone besides family members or at daycare/school. Has he really grown up this much? The same kid you see in my blog banner wrapped tightly in a blanket? Yup. He has.

So I left for a few hours. And you know what? They played nice. In fact his Mom said they were very quiet and enjoyed the time together. Ty can't wait to have him come to our house now. And me, well I can say now I survived that separation anxiety that I read so much about. It never hit me with the first day of school thing. This felt different. And on that day, both Ty and I did some growing up.