New Friends

I am learning so much from my daughter, Tracey, as she becomes her own growing individual, big(ger) girl.  She is to an age where she loves making friends.  To her, a friend is anyone from about age 1-14 years old depending on if they look old or young for their age.  If the young child is walking, it's a friend, if not, it's a baby.

In almost any setting, her eyes are peeled for friends -- and in her two-year-old sweet mind, any child between the age of 1-14 is her friend... she just hasn't said "Hi" yet.

She is still working on her language, but she can get her point across pretty well, and often, in new settings, her point is, "Hi Friend.  I'm Tracey," -- which is toddler for, "Can I play with you please?"

It brings my heart such joy to watch her and other children be strangers one minute, and helping each other climb a ladder the next minute.  What a beautiful way to go through life.  They have a common interest -- the playground -- and nothing else matters.  

They never stopped to ask if each other were voting for Trump and then stopped their budding friendship mid-conversation based on the other's answer.

They never stopped to take a selfie together and then each stare at their individual phones while they shared their new friendship on Instagram. #bestiesatthepark

They never did any number of other adult interactions I could post here where adults have one thing in common, but then stop a friendship because ideologies don't match.

They just played.

Tracey sees a child, and she has a friend.  Plain and simple.  One thing in common is all she needs to make a friend -- she and the other child have to be in the same place at the same time.

I want to be the kind of friend my two-year-old is.