Animals and Politics

Tegan loves to be around other kids. Loves it. She watches other kids when we are out, and always trying to go to them if she can. I love that she's social. I mean, who wants their kid to be like Ally Sheedy from Breakfast Club or that creepy guy from The Burbs? No thanks. Lately, I'm beginning to wonder if their aren't some parents out there trying to raise socially defective kids.

I have the attitude that babies are babies, and are often more like little animals (which they are) than little people. Sometimes they hit, or take a toy, or get a toy taken. I see this as normal. Sort of baby survival of the fittest. I like to handle this by not handling it. Obviously, I will tell Tegan to be nice if she hits a kid or something like that, but she doesn't know how to be soft handed or how to say "listen asshole, that was my shape sorter and I want it back." She's a fucking baby.

These parents that hover over their kids and carry them off the second anything gets less than perfect are creating cry babies. The kind of kids that make it so that other kids can't play tag anymore. We don't need to let them brake bottles over each others heads (pun intended), but we should let them experience some physical interaction before they're 37.

This seems to be how most people parent. Particularly at my story group each week. Which is why I am BEYOND thrilled when Tegan gets to play with a baby who's parents are paranoid nut bags. It's so nice to just let kids play, and not spend the whole time burning an ulcer into your guts because the other parents are raising the boy in the bubble or forgot they're not chaperoning a Junior High dance.

When my friend called and said she wanted to bring her little girl over for the first time I was thrilled. She is the opposite of the parents mentioned above. In fact, she was cooler about the girls getting crazy than I was. This was particularly true when a whole container of puffs spilled, and my obsession for tidiness (understatement) couldn't refrain from kicking in.

So Tegan spent the evening playing with her new bff Vienna. And mom had a reason to put on real clothes and speak like a college graduate. Win. Win. Sometimes they cried, and sometimes fingers went into eyeballs and it wasn't always perfect, but everyone survived...and it was a lot of God damn fun.

(friends)