I've taken G to enough things geared toward children to know deep down in my cockles that most kids are assholes. Now, it's not totally the kid's fault, I mean... they're kids. They have to learn that asshole behavior, right?
Also, please don't think that I feel like my kid isn't an asshole. Granted, for the most part, he's a well behaved little gentleman, thank you. However, the boy has his moments when he's an out of control drama queen, but you know what? He's three, shit happens. I've got it pinpointed almost down to a science, when the boy saves his drama for his mama, he's usually tired, hangry, or emotionally tore up from the floor up.
For example, we had to go a store two days in a row (food one day) and (items for his room) the next day. His sleep has been erratic, he's been a garbage disposal, he's got his man period, I'm pretty sure he's going to sprout, okay, so he's been a little cray. He likes to drive the shopping cart. Cool. Except, it was the weekend, there were a billion people at the store. I didn't want to have to talk to someone that he accidentally ran over with the cart. So, trying to be preemptive, I tried calmly telling him he had to sit in the cart and picking him up while explaining myself. The boy goes dead-weight, starts crying and hollering that he doesn't want to sit in the cart and makes damn sure I can't deposit him in the cart. Okay... now I'm that mother, wrestling her kid like a sea lion in public. Despite that, we moved on quickly, like 5 minutes later, he was cool and understood why he needed to sit in the cart, but still... it was an asshole kid moment. It happens.
However, I'm almost certain the boy has some of his mother's tendencies, such as loathing most other people. We talk about pre-school in the fall, and I'm all like, hey man, aren't you looking forward to maybe making a friend that you could play with? No mama. I don't need any friends. I'll play by myself. When I take him to the park or other places where there are children, he won't play with any of them. He'll stand in the background observing them. Maybe if there's one he likes the look of, he'll follow him/her around for a while, but he won't directly play with them. Recently though, he's played with some kids at the last few places he's been at with J.
He probably picks up on my vibes when he and I are together. I'm sure he knows that I'm not all about trying to make new friends. I don't like talking to people. I'm in my early thirties, what the hell am I going to do with new friends? I've tried to make new friends in my late twenties and even recently, that shit just doesn't work. I don't like to share, so it's not like I'm going to invite someone over to sample some of my super special "grape juice." That's for me! I don't like to borrow out my items, I don't like people touching my stuff. I'm a shitty new friend.
The best part of my kid not really wanting to hang out with other kids is that I don't have to talk to the other kid's parents. It's exhausting! (Yes this makes me selfish.) You have to make small talk.You have to try to find some common ground, but you really just end up talking about your kids. I'll be honest, Lester. I don't give a shit about your kid. He counted to ten today? Great. I only care about my own child. Don't get me wrong, if G ends up making friends sooner rather than later and they want to hang out at my house, it's not like I'm going to let the friend run out into traffic or anything. I'll give them snacks, make sure they don't get picked up by scum bags or anything. The friend in question will be safe at our pad. I just really do not want to be friends with some other kid's parents. The exception of course lies in whether or not these parents are awesome, which may or may not be the case.
I've never been one of those extroverted folks. I've never sought out people to talk to. I'm sure I come off as bitchy and snobbish, but the thing is, I'm just at a loss for words around most people. You might catch me blankly staring at you like a creeper, but I'm just trying to think of something to say. I'm a background dweller, an observer. I've always only had just a small handful of friends and two of those have made it the 20+ year club.
Kids are sponges. Mine is an observer. I sit and observe him observing. I know he picks up on what I've got going on in my head. I see his little personality and psyche being like mine when I was young, and even now. When he's got some social issues or anxiety about new things, like school, or trying to make friends, I like to think that I might be able to help him navigate because I've been there, shit, I'm still there, man.
