Up until now Willow has enjoyed the company of other tots her age only in the sense that where they are is where the fun and the toys are. That is to say she likes the toys and the gyms and the swings and if she has to be around these other toddlers, so be it.
That's with kids her own age. She LOVES older kids, but they don't care much for her (other than "she's a baby," and Willow can't keep up with them, though she tries).
Her older cousin, Rett, for example, hung the stars and moon in her opinion, so she'll just about do anything he does, including cozying up with him on the chair to watch a movie. And he does like her more than the typical older kid does.
But as far as all the toddlers and babies roughly in Willow's age range, she doesn't have much use for them. She's not mean to them. She'll let them take a ball from her hand, for example (as some say, she plays well with others). But I can tell you, most definitely, she just doesn't much care for them, them pipsqueaks.
Here's another example of what I'm writing about. A couple of weeks ago at the Nashville Zoo's tot gym, a boy a couple of years older than Willow started playing with her primarily because Willow was the only other kid in the gym. The boy was jumping and falling and running. The most Willow had ever done at the gym was walk around, bang on some cushions and watch the older kids. But she treated this boy as if her were the second coming of Rett and mimicked his moves, jumping and falling and running. Another boy much closer to Willow's age entered the gym and came up to Willow and started jabbering with her. She didn't give him a second of her time, choosing instead to run off with the older boy.
I think the tide is turning, though.
Willow took me, my friends Rob and Aleta and their kids, Eli and Ella, to the zoo on Friday, and my little girl started showing signs of appreciation for the younger crowd.
She enjoyed playing with Ella, still a toddler herself, all weekend. They enjoyed imaginary cups of tea with each other and babbled at each other, though I don't think anyone knew what they were talking about.
And at the tot gym at the zoo, while Ella was off playing with her brother, Willow made friends with not one, but two, toddler girls. Actually, one girl might have been just out of toddlerhood because she knew the concept of helping up other kids. Willow was playing her little falling game, tumbling onto her back onto the mat, and the other girl would come check on her and try to her up.
At one point Willow held the girl's hand, and they walked around the gym together. I tried to snap a picture, but I fumbled the phone.
And the other girl Willow befriended might have been even younger than Miss Wills. They chattered and chattered and screamed together, and Willow took the older kid role by showing the girl how to fall on the mat. She even gave the girl a tour of the gym.
Willow's cousins Rett and Bristol are masters of making friends at playgrounds and such. Maybe Willow will be too.
That's with kids her own age. She LOVES older kids, but they don't care much for her (other than "she's a baby," and Willow can't keep up with them, though she tries).
Her older cousin, Rett, for example, hung the stars and moon in her opinion, so she'll just about do anything he does, including cozying up with him on the chair to watch a movie. And he does like her more than the typical older kid does.
But as far as all the toddlers and babies roughly in Willow's age range, she doesn't have much use for them. She's not mean to them. She'll let them take a ball from her hand, for example (as some say, she plays well with others). But I can tell you, most definitely, she just doesn't much care for them, them pipsqueaks.
Here's another example of what I'm writing about. A couple of weeks ago at the Nashville Zoo's tot gym, a boy a couple of years older than Willow started playing with her primarily because Willow was the only other kid in the gym. The boy was jumping and falling and running. The most Willow had ever done at the gym was walk around, bang on some cushions and watch the older kids. But she treated this boy as if her were the second coming of Rett and mimicked his moves, jumping and falling and running. Another boy much closer to Willow's age entered the gym and came up to Willow and started jabbering with her. She didn't give him a second of her time, choosing instead to run off with the older boy.
I think the tide is turning, though.
Willow took me, my friends Rob and Aleta and their kids, Eli and Ella, to the zoo on Friday, and my little girl started showing signs of appreciation for the younger crowd.
She enjoyed playing with Ella, still a toddler herself, all weekend. They enjoyed imaginary cups of tea with each other and babbled at each other, though I don't think anyone knew what they were talking about.
And at the tot gym at the zoo, while Ella was off playing with her brother, Willow made friends with not one, but two, toddler girls. Actually, one girl might have been just out of toddlerhood because she knew the concept of helping up other kids. Willow was playing her little falling game, tumbling onto her back onto the mat, and the other girl would come check on her and try to her up.
At one point Willow held the girl's hand, and they walked around the gym together. I tried to snap a picture, but I fumbled the phone.
And the other girl Willow befriended might have been even younger than Miss Wills. They chattered and chattered and screamed together, and Willow took the older kid role by showing the girl how to fall on the mat. She even gave the girl a tour of the gym.
Willow's cousins Rett and Bristol are masters of making friends at playgrounds and such. Maybe Willow will be too.
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