We were at a Christmas party tonight. It was a church function, so it was fairly casual: kids everywhere, in a gym- pretty standard. As we were (enjoying) the (talented) performances that were prepared for us, Henry decided that he wanted to do some dancing with a little buddy of his, Mark.
It was pretty freaking cute. They were doing a little Irish jig together, jumping up and down and generally having a very nice time together. They're both 2.
I got a couple of sneaky looks from people during the fun. Not glares per se, but definite 'why don't you do something to shut your kid up' kinda looks.
It made me think about the things that we do to our children to appease the people around us. I made a great effort to calm Henry down, and he wasn't happy about it. He just wanted to dance with his buddy in the gym-- have a great time!
But because I was sensitive to the people around us, I felt the need to disrupt the fun. If we were in my living room or in the backyard I would have laughed and gone about my day, happy that my son was enjoying his life.
I find this interesting. It makes me feel bad. I don't think that you can let your children run wild in the streets, don't get me wrong. But if the boys are having fun, why not let them have fun? We weren't in the middle of an opera or a church service: this was a Christmas party in the gym.
Anyhow.... I guess we need to make an extra effort to parent the way we want to, and not worry so much about the people around us.
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