My oldest son is a man about the neighborhood this summer. It’s taking some getting used to.

Obviously, since we’re homeschooling we get a lot of flak from family about his needing to be “socialized”. Apparently, he’s going to be socially backward and not know how to forge friendships with other kids because we homeschool. Eyes rolling here. This kid is a friend magnet. These days I’m lucky to see him an hour or two a day. He’s out of here by 9 a.m. most mornings, after having been beckoned by the boys two doors down. They’re his friends of choice lately. Then there’s the little girl across the street, a couple older boys who were friends of the aforementioned neighbor boys, the girl next door who’s usually there all summer (partial custody arrangement) and the assortment of kids who live who-knows-where. It’s fascinating to watch. This is the first year he’s really gotten out and about in the neighborhood. And of course we’re trying to move. But I just know he’ll make new friends wherever we go. This is the kid who can go to McPlayland and have all the kids there following him like puppies within minutes, and not just kids his own age. He’s able to play with a veritable gamut of ages, from the 3 year old girl next door who just loves him, to the 15 year old who he likes to ride bikes with (nearby of course). I love that about him, that he doesn’t want to just play with other seven year olds, he’s an equal opportunity friend. He’s cool that way.

Of course the one thing this means is that he doesn’t need me as much to be a playmate, a secret sharer. It’s sad but liberating at the same time. Sad for me, but liberating for him as he can now choose who he does what with, he has more options. Unfortunately for me, this means some of those options will not be things I would approve of. He told me about this cool game he’d been playing with his two buds...I was okay until I found out it was Mortal Kombat. Um, no, Homey don’t play ‘dat. So I’m still having to insert my groundrules, which is harder to do when the ground is not my own. I trust that he follows our family rules, but I can’t know for sure.

Well, I’m off for a walk with Maddie and Mason, who are still young enough to need my constant attentions.