She finally noticed them. Or maybe she had noticed them before, but she certainly hadn't admitted it.
The kids.
All over the place.
Next door, across the street, down the street . . . our neighborhood is like one giant playground filled with kids of all ages. They spill out of the houses, onto the streets, and are generally unavoidable. They are just there. Everywhere.
Last summer, Alexis didn't so much as glance at a single one of them. All through the fall and winter, the same. If she knew there were kids her age around, she sure didn't let on.
And then we went to Disney, and Alexis opened her eyes to the joy that comes from making new friends.
So far, she has kept her eyes wide open. She happened to spot some of the neighbor kids the day after we returned from Florida and immediately set out to be their number one stalker. She spent her days running from room-to-room, window-to-window, searching everywhere her little eyes could see, just hoping she would spot a free-range kid or two. She never managed to find them at a time that I could turn into a chance to go make friends, but it wasn't because she didn't try hard enough. She most certainly did.
And then one day, there they were. She met @supahmommy's girls and lived to tell the tale. A few days later, she stood on the edge of our yard, staring down at them as they played in their driveway. She Who Is Really Very Shy thought about it for a few minutes and then looked at me and asked if she could go play. I, of course, told her yes, knowing full well she wouldn't go anywhere unless I escorted her there. The kid NEVER goes anywhere without me. Ever.
But she did.
She ran down that hill and joined in on the fun. I didn't see her for hours after that because she was too busy running and yelling and playing.
Alexis' first instinct is still to hide behind me and ignore any strangers who make eye contact with her, but it's there. The armor is cracked, The Shy is falling away, and maybe, just maybe, the kid has finally found her Inner Rock Star.
