Weekend Intelligence: Kids will play

To be honest, I was considering not writing an entry for this weekend. Save the 1st birthday BBQ thrown by one of my coworkers and the relaxing Saturday night, there really wasn't much to write about. But I figured I had a good thing going and I'd like to keep it that way. So, in typical weekend intelligence fashion, here are the highlights.

D was starting to feel sick on Friday, and by Saturday morning had a full-on cold. Since the kids were bouncing off the walls, I told Colin to go out and play. Clara was VERY upset that he was heading out, and proceeded to put her shoes on and run out the door after him. The both of them went over to the house across the street to play with the neighbor kids. Colin has friends in the neighborhood, but this was really the first time Clara had gone outside to play with other kids. She quickly became good friends with one of the little girls, while I sat on the porch and enjoyed the gorgeous Saturday morning.

Later that day, a coworker was throwing a first birthday party for his daughter, so I brought the kids and some beer and let D get some rest. The children had no problems inventing games, one which involved tearing down a dead tree with their bare hands... The coworker didn't seem to mind much; he was going to take it down in the next few weeks anyway, so they were doing him a favor by weakening it a bit.

I think it's good for her to get outside and play with the other kids. Colin can be shy, but eventually will open up and socialize with others. Clara hasn't had much interaction with others besides the few kids and adults she sees everyday. I was happy to see her adjust and have fun in new social settings. I don't know if it's a milestone or anything, just something I hadn't noticed her do before.