Alan & Brenda Leonard

10/24/02 11:57:

> Patience is not my strength, but I'm learning.

Oh I hear you there, Ren. Me too, on both counts.

brenda

Alan & Brenda Leonard

10/24/02 19:31:

> Maybe too, she is ahead of playing with her ages. Are
> these kids her same age? I know my Alyssa (2) doesn't like to play with 2
> year old stuff and does much better with older kids. Then we she does get
> around younger ones, she has a tendency to play better because it's
> different. But mostly she doesn't like to play like most 2 year olds.

I've had this situation, too. Tim has always enjoyed playing with older
kids who were willing to include him, and really enjoys littler children,
but the fastest way to start a fight was to put him in with other kids his
own age. It was true at 2, and 3, and 4. These days he chooses to play
with kids of different ages than himself, but he doesn't fight with the
other 6 year olds, he just avoids them.

I wonder if this might be the entire root of the problem with age-grouping.
Older children are able to be kind to younger ones, and then the little ones
go off and enjoy being the "big kids" to even littler ones for a change, but
there's just something psycologically wrong with being with all kids the
same age.

Hmmm. New place for my brain to wrap around tonight!

brenda