Simon was well worn out yesterday. Good for bedtime, but not so much for pre-bedtime. Simon and I ended up locked out, so we went upstairs to grab an extra key. The upstairs buddies and visiting buddies seemed to be well worn out too, needing snacks and the little one crying for water. It was a lot of noise and activity and emotion in one kitchen. Simon plugged his ears and bolted for the door.
When we were safely outside I stopped him and told him that he did a great job, and that was the perfect thing to do. It's not a behavior I would have thought deserved praise and encouragement without parenting a son like mine. His mind must have been completely overloaded with the loud kid voices, the sight of several kids and adults in quick action, the heat, and the all the emotion in the room. My tired little Simon held it together long enough to get out and didn't screech, yell, hit, kick, or throw a thing. He helped himself cope by blocking some noise and got out of the situation at his own direction.
As Simon gets older and continues with occupational therapy, other services, and is gently worked into social settings, I hope that he will eventually not need to cope and bolt, that he will have the skills to enjoy company for a time. I was always content as a kid to play alone, and sort of hoped that Simon would too. It would mean less heartache for him as he runs into the challenges he'll have with making friends. He's just now starting to talk about "friends," about other kids coming to play with him, and I really hope he's able to develop the social skills he needs to allow it to happen. You just don't make friends by yelling or running away from them.
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