Life’s Bumps

After a very emotional snub to my daughter from two kids she had always considered friends in school (and had been to our home multiple times) she was still reeling a little when we came to our Family Fun Night at GiGi’s Playhouse McHenry County last Friday night. She had prearranged to bring another friend so at least this distracted her from the afternoon’s events.

As it turned out, it was a smaller gathering than usual, maybe 20-24 people in all. My daughter and her friend had a chance to play “hostesses” to the two younger girls that came that night. The four girls played games together, made bird seed pinecones and ate some delicious food together. The volunteers helped facilitate the interactions when needed, but to see my daughter’s confidence and esteem repair itself as the night went on was priceless. Her smile returned, she laughed at her new friends’ antics and she shared some stories with the rest of the group. All night long she was surrounded by people who accepted her for who she is, didn’t judge or evaluate her skills and invited her to join in every interaction. She in turn brought others into the activities and enjoyed the entire evening.

So from this parent and many others, thank you for helping to boost her self-confidence in order to overcome life’s bumps and hurtful moments. Thank you for providing a safe environment for her to be herself as she explores her still-developing social skills. Thank you for being here.