it is difficult to make new friends as adults. i guess it’s because we have all sorts of assumptions about other people, where they’re from, what they like and what makes them tick. even though we’ve been told never to judge a book by its cover, we do. it’s hard not to make judgements about books or people based on how they look, right? it’s hard to admit too, because we all want to believe that we, ourselves, are kind and open to all, no matter what.

but kids on the other hand… boy ‘o boy. they don’t care about what pre-school their friends go to, who their daddy is or what kinda jeans they’re wearing. kids just want a buddy to play with, to laugh with and figure out the complex rules of our society. 

bear has become much more friendly and social in the last handful of months. he speaks very specifically about his friends; what they played, what they laughed about and is always asking when the next playdate is. he is truly morphing into a wee social butterfly in his own shy way. his friendships are important to him, like mine are to me and that warms my heart. bear remembers his friends and small details about them. for example he’ll tell you that so and so has a baby sister with blue eyes and who cries when she is hungry. he will explain the new game another friend taught him about monsters and lobsters and giggle just at the thought of it. he will re-tell the story of the licking game that he and mr. transformer developed on a rainy friday afternoon. it is magical and beautiful that he recognizes the importance of these people, his little friends, in his life and shows the value of these bonds as well as a three year old can.

but so it goes…


i wish i had that naivete my lovely three year old holds. to not hold pre-conceived ideas or notions about people. i try desperately not to, but i fail. so, my goal is to be careful what i do with my assumptions, who i share them with and how i present myself to the world. because, at the end of the day when i am perusing the shelves of bookstore, i do judge a book by its cover.