"I Can't Wait." - Blossoming and Finding Your Place

There is a lot of excitement at our house today. Sophia is going to a birthday slumber party tonight at a hotel for swimming and other fun AND Halo ODST for XBOX has its midnight release on September 22 so Alexander is making plans with his friends. He is planning to pick the game up with Steve and then the two of them will join three of his other friends online to play. Alexander and his friends discussed having a sleepover for the release night but the details were getting messy so they will probably play together online from 1am to whenever and then get together the next day. So much fun!

I find it enjoyable to watch my kids excited about getting together with their friends for many reasons. One, as homeschoolers we aren't supposed to have friends. (He-he) The number one question we get when we tell people we homeschool is, "So, do they socialize with other kids?" If people only knew that we have to limit the socialization so mom can have a few days at home. Two, I was never a very social person as a child. I always considered myself "shy" but now when I look back I wasn't really shy, I was more of a "loner". I enjoyed having friends but they weren't necessary for me either. I was always quite content being home with my family and/or spending time alone. I never looked forward to sleepovers but instead preferred parties that had a time schedule so I knew when I would go home. I used to think something was wrong with me because I was this way, but I have learned to appreciate that it is just who I am. Nothing wrong with it. In fact, I seem to bring balance to many of my friends that are social creatures, just as they do for me. So, it works out. We all have the personalities we were meant to have.

As I watch my kids enter their teen years excited about get togethers with friends, planning get togethers with friends, and counting down days until big get togethers with friends, I find it fun and intriguing. What makes some people thrive on socializing with others while it drains others. Even today I LOVE having lots of friends and am thankful each day that I have the friends I do in my life, but I also find it exhausting sometimes. I need lots of time alone and when I don't get it, I don't handle life as well.

My children seem to thrive on time with their friends so I do whatever I can to make it happen. Luckily for me I have been able to establish friendships with other moms that don't expect me to be anyone other than myself. This group of friends embrace the fact that we are all different and have our own unique characteristics. It definitely helps me break out of my "loner" shell at a level that is comfortable for me.

Through my children I find my own personality blossoming. I find lots of joy in their excitement and when we host their friends over here, I love to be in the background listening to their giggles and conversations but also look forward to hanging out with my mom friends as they drop off and pick up their kids or decide to hang out at our house with me. My children's social personalities show me a way I have never known, but our lifestyle allows me to stay in the comfort of my own "loner" self. Life with children makes you feel like you "can't wait" for the next fun thing or development in your personality to happen.