Nice Compliments From Strangers

Can I first just say how much we are enjoying living close to the school our kids go to?  This is the first time we have ever experienced this in our family.  It is so nice to ride bikes or walk to the school, and they recently just opened a new road that leads to it, so it makes it even closer for us.  It is so refreshing to get exercise on the way home, instead of being crammed in the van and sit through 30 min of traffic.  If we do have to drive, it is 3 min.  So nice! 

On Friday, we stayed at the playground for a long time and just let the kids play and enjoy the hot, summer like weather we were having.  Then a lady who lives about a block away from me, came up to say hi.  She has a 4 year old like Olivia, and often my kids will go to this little courtyard that is in between our houses to play, and her daughter will come out to join them.  This "courtyard" is just that, a nice little yard with benches, trees, a patio, but no playground.  We have always wondered why they did not put a playground in it, but my kids still love to go there and they find games to play, and things to make believe.  She said to me that day, "I didn't think your kids went to public school, I thought they went to some special school.  They just play so different."  I thought, oh no, what does she mean!?  So I asked, "Different?" And she said, "Yes, they can play with twigs, and rocks, and dirt, and with no toys or equipment, and just seem so happy and content to do that for hours! I thought for sure they went to some school that teaches the Waldorf Method, where they learn to play with natural things.  They just have such creative imaginations."  Well, I was pleased with that!  They really do have creative minds and can keep themselves entertained for a long time.  I think the leader of that is always Lily.  If she is involved in making up a game or activity, all four of them will stay busy for literally hours.  They also always welcome in other children who are present and want to join in.

Then just as we were leaving, this elderly couple stopped us and the woman said, "You have such lovely girls.  They have been playing with our granddaughter here this whole time so nicely, they are just so gentle and kind to her.  We babysit her every Friday and try to take her out so she can play with other kids.  She is our one and only grandchild and so it is so nice for her to have found your girls.  Are they all yours?"  People are always so amazed that we have four children and that they are all girls!  The girls of course spouted out, "You only have one grandchild?  I have 46 cousins!"  The lady was so amazed at that too.  The girls kept talking and she just smiled and said to me, "I know you might not realize it, but they are just so fun to listen to.  You are around it all the time and might not notice, but I really do."  Anyway, it was just a nice thing for me to hear.  I am happy my daughters are kind to other kids and include them and treat them like one of their own.  It makes me very proud of them.