Fast Friends

Very recently, a boy moved in just down the road, not far, a couple of houses away. He and Austin (both the same age) have become instant friends, Kaleigh too!  They run and play together everyday.  His parents set up an egg hunt on Easter for all three of kids, very sweet.  The boys really do stick together, Kaleigh sometimes ends up on the outside but she is feisty and hangs tough, and finds her way right back into the middle!  It is so nice to see Austin having fun and so excited to see his new friend.

Friendships seem to come so much more easily to Kaleigh and she is a little social butterfly.  It is nice to see her in the mix since sometimes, Austin's words still do not come out in a typical fashion.  When I told Austin he had 10 more minutes to play with his friend, he went out the door and had calculated the minutes into seconds, and gave the time left to play in seconds.  The look on the boy's face, he thought it was a bit odd, but didn't give it more a few seconds thought and was off again playing.  (I intend to speak to the boy's parents and I have met the father briefly.  He seems like a very nice man.  I will explain that Austin is on the spectrum.  I always feel more comfortable when people are aware of Austin's autism.)  So far, this boy has not said or questioned anything, to me anyway and with Kaleigh there to intervene all the time I am not sure it is as apparent as if Austin was on his own.

I encourage and support Austin and Kaleigh's friendships.  It is so important to have friends and the bonds you have when you are little can last a lifetime.  I get such a giggle out of my brother, he met his best friend when he was 5 years old and he just spent Easter weekend with him at his place out of town.  They both have families of their own but the bond has not changed in all that time.  I think it is really wonderful!  I have a few friends from when I was little who still hold the same place in my heart.  They may only be one or two, but that piece will always belong to them and how wonderful is that?

I look forward to and hope my children will make at least one great friend who will be there for a long, long time.  It is so wonderful to see the beginnings of friendships when they are so young and uncomplicated.  Sheer happiness, excitement and fun! What more could you ask for?

All the best! *HUGS*