You've Got a Friend

Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, All You Have To Do Is Call...the concept of friendship is dawning on Mason. He loves Little Einsteins and there is an episode where the woodpecker, Tapper, is trying to find his friend and of course, there's a song that goes with it that we sing constantly at our house. So I'll ask Mason who his friends are and his responses vary, but are always comical. Miles is too small, Daddy is too big, Grant & Andrew go to school - all reasons why they can't be his friend! On our recent trip to Callaway Gardens, we heard, then saw, a real live Tapper and Mason immediately asked where was his friend?

I spent today with my oldest friends and it's taken watching some of my other friendships disastrously dissolve for me to realize how special these gals are to me. I've know one gal since the 7th grade and the other since our freshman year at college - we all went to the same school, so that helps tie us together. And now we're all moms, so it's so fun to watch our children play together like they did today. What makes some friendships last and others die? Why do these girls still like me when some of my other friends opted not to anymore? It's not our husbands or kids because we didn't have either when we met. Whatever it is, I'm thankful for it (and secretly hope that I never screw it up). How do I teach Mason to be a good friend? We sing "You will find a friend Tapper, You won't be all alone" and he seems to get that "finding a friend" is a good thing. I want him to have lifelong friends like I have, but I also know that there will be bumps along the friendship road that I will have to teach him to endure and overcome. How can I teach him those skills when I don't think I posses them? Friendship is sticky and messy - good thing we're moms of preschoolers and have lots of wipes!