Sheriff Joel
Joel made me really proud two weeks ago, but he was just doing the kind of thing he usually does.
Joel’s very confident in pre-K (as all my kids have been), and he has never had any separation anxiety, but plenty of kids have. One of the girls in his class has had a particularly hard time adjusting. She cries just about every day, missing her mommy terribly. As a result, she has had some trouble socializing with her classmates.
Two weeks ago, this girl was having another rough day, and nobody seemed to want to play with her. Everyone except Joel, that is.
He invited her over to a table to draw and write. She was hesitant at first, but soon they were both writing, smiling, and laughing together.
As a reward for his warm gesture of friendship, Joel’s teachers gave him the plastic sheriff star badge in the photo. He’s certainly a star to me.
That small gesture, that might have meant a lot to that little girl, is just the kind of thing he does. He’ll play with anyone. He can make friends with anyone. He’s not a loud, boisterous personality, though. He’s a quiet, silly, bouncy kid that is as comfortable doing his own thing in class or on the playground as he is cooperating and playing with a big crowd.
On several occasions, Joel has said, “I love everyone in the whole world”. I think I believe him.
Joel is a real mensch – the kind of person my wife and I both wish we were more like.
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That’s awesome. I’ve been nudging my 6-year-old boy for years to “just be good,” and it really looks like he’s taken it to heart. He’s mostly good to his little sister, and at school, we get parents come up to us to say he’s the only one who plays with their kids. Watching him grow up like that is amazing.
It really is awesome. I just wish my oldest could be more like him. He’s entirely self-centered and lacking in empathy. 🙁
BTW, I always feel honored when the godfather of Dad Bloggers comments on my posts. 🙂
Nice. Very sweet of him to do. You should be proud of your mensch.
We are. 🙂
The saddest thing on the playground is when there’s some kid who the other kids don’t play with. I try to get my four-year-old to be welcoming, and sometimes she is, and sometimes she’s not. It’s a process. I’m normally pretty hands-off about my kid at the playground, but it always bugs me when parents watch their own kids pushing kids away, forming an “in-group” and an “out group,” and do nothing. The kids who can cheerfully cross those boundaries are the very best.
Agreed!