First Friend Birthday Party

Kayli went to her very first “invited-by-mail” friend birthday party this weekend. The party theme was “Barbie Princess Birthday”, and the girls had sooooo much fun! They played “pin-the-tiara on Barbie”, and “musical crowns”. I’m not really a fan of the musical chairs theme game for preschoolers, having seen too many kids fall apart during this game. This time, that sensitive soul just happened to be Kayli. By the second round she was still in, and she flew across the table to snatch up the last crown when the music stopped. On the 3rd round, however, there was not a crown anywhere near the spot she was standing, and she just burst into tears. Well, before I could make a move, the grandmother of the birthday girl immediately scooped Kayli up, and began comforting her. She handed Kayli a crown, and all was well. Then, all the girls got to sit down and decorate their crowns with sticky letters and royal emblems. The birthday girl opened lots of beautiful Barbie gifts, then we all had cake and ice cream, and finally, there was a Princess Pinata for the grand finale!











It was fun for me to see how Kayli interacted with her friends, since the only time she’s with her friends is while she’s at daycare. She joined in easily, and spent some time playing comedian once she got some laughs from her friends. She was a good friend to the girl who wouldn’t join in, standing there, clinging to her mom. Kayli tried to coax her several times. When she managed to get this child to join in some “sideline play” (jumping off a stump while kids were finishing their crowns) I heard Kayli say to her “So, you must be feeling better now!” That’s my Kayli, always checking to make sure everyone is happy, and doing what she can to make sure they are. I like to see how much empathy she has, but I also hate to see her feel such responsibility for everyone’s well being. That can be a big job. I know, I took on that job myself somewhere along my life’s path. This similarity between us makes me think again about the “nature vs. nurture” question. How are the two of us sooo much alike?