Fun With Friends

Madison got to go to a friend's house and play today after school today. This is a new friend that she met in our church and has gotten closer and closer to. It is the first time that she has gotten to go and play at her house. It makes me so happy to see my children make new friends. It does so much to discredit the "what about socialization" card that everyone wants to play when it comes to homeschooling. Madison had a great time at Kendra's house and is ready to invite her over during spring break. The girls tried to take a little swim today in Kendra's pool, but it was a little too cool. That never stops them from trying, though!The boys had a couple of friends here today. I love to have Tristin, Patrick's friend, over because they were such good friends when Patrick was in the public school. One of my concerns when taking them out of the school system was that they would lose touch with the friends they had already made there. The great thing is that they have kept in touch with the closest ones. Most of them go to our church, so that helps. Patrick and Tristin don't go to church together, but have remained friends....that is a true friend. Carter had Josh over, who is really more like another brother than merely a friend. The boys have this problem in that when one of them has a friend over, he doesn't want the other one having too much to do with that friend. Carter seems to feel like when he has a friend over, that friend tends to want to stay in Patrick's room because Patrick is older. Today, when Tristin was here for Patrick, there was a little friction because Tristin kept going into Carter's room to play. Now, I know that they should all be able to just play together, but then again, I understand why they would want their friend to play mostly with them. I try to have them work things like this out without me, but I finally had to sit them down and have a little talk with them after everyone went home. I just told them to remember what they feel like when it is their friend going to the other room and try to be sensitive to each other's feelings. Then, I tried to lighten things up a bit by telling them that they really need to get this problem ironed out now because one day, when they are bringing girls, over it will be even worse. I told them that if they think they get jealous now...over guy friends...just wait until there is a girl involved! Carter denied that it would ever happen because he will not care anything for girls, but Patrick reassured him that he would!

I told the kids that next week, on spring break, that they could each invite one friend over for our first "yard" campout of the year. The weather is perfect with no mosquitoes yet, so it's a great time to sleep out there! I'm so excited about playing night time games, like flashlight tag, and staying up late playing games in the tent with them. We have two rooms in the tent, so the boys can stay in one and the girls in the other. How fun!!!