Socialization 101

On the weekend I took Liam down to the Early Years Centre, where they were running a performance called Tom’s Amazing Cats. It was billed as a puppet show, but the ad in the paper also said not to attend if you are allergic to feathers or fur, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. We met Liam’s little buddy Autum there (and also ran into most of the rest of our baby group – the OEYC really does suck you in!) It did indeed turn out to be a puppet show, but the last cat on the bill was a real live cat, and there was also a live bird involved. These parts grabbed Liam’s attention a bit, but mostly he and Autum were too little to care what was going on at the front of the room. Autum spent most of the performance cheerily announcing to her parents that she was leaving and then walking away, and Liam spent most of it breathing down the necks of the people seated in front of us – for some reason he really seemed to want to be a part of their family. They really did not pay much attention to each other.

It was funny to me to see how he interacts with other kids, and especially kids he does not know well or at all. I am used to seeing him around the group at Cindy’s but even then, I often see or hear things that surprise me. For the most part Liam is happier to do his own thing than he is to join in a group activity. Since both of his parents are like this as well, that is not the surprising part. It’s the stories about his getting involved with other kids that make me laugh. For example, there is one girl at Cindy’s who plays mother hen to Liam, often to the point of driving him crazy. This is the same girl he bit a couple of times last summer, and Cindy said both times he had simply been pushed too far and she didn’t blame him for sticking up for himself. I was surprised, then, to recently hear about how close the two of them have become. Recently, he’s even developed a new naptime routine. Liam still sucks his thumb and twirls hair when he’s sleepy. He’ll twirl my hair if we’re at home, but after getting his hair cut a couple of months ago, there wasn’t enough of his own hair left to twirl. So now when he gets tired at Cindy’s, he’ll go park himself next to his little friend, suck one thumb and twirl her hair with the other hand. And she totally lets him.

Of course, things aren’t always all rosy at Cindy’s house, either. Another thing Liam likes to do is go get everyone’s shoes for them before we head out somewhere. A few weeks ago he was doing this at Cindy’s house, when one of the kids objected and said “No, Liam, those aren’t your shoes!” as he picked them up from the boot tray by Cindy’s door. In no time at all, his lip was quivering and the tears were rolling. Little Mister was dealt his first crushing blow by some little punk who didn’t understand that he was just trying to be helpful. Every time I see this kid now, I want to knock his block off for hurting Liam’s feelings. I guess that’s the momma bear instinct coming out in me.