As an antidote to the age of cynicism and pessimism I find we are increasingly living in, it really helps me to put all these "big picture" issues aside and concentrate on what directly affects my family. And a good way for me to do that is is to talk to Margot and listen to what keeps her preoccupied.
Increasingly she talks about the trials and tribulations of dealing with boys (ah! that's another blog post) but another big issue for her is birthday parties.
This past weekend she went to the birthday party of her friends E and S. The party was held in the east end of Ottawa at a trampoline place called Flying Squirrel, which is an indoor trampoline park. It was pretty sweet seeing E and S rush up to Margot and give her a big hug. They moved schools last year but it looks like the friendship is still going strong.
Luckily for Margot, going to parties doesn't appear to be an issue (she gets invited, she goes - case closed!). The bigger concern is Margot's own birthday. Even though it isn't for another six months, Margot confided to me on the drive over to Flying Squirrel that she doesn't know who to invite to her next birthday. She seems to be "friends" with a lot of girls in her class and she feels an expectation to invite everyone. I use friends in quotations because, reading between the lines, I think the real issue is that she feels pressure to invite a lot of girls as they are cool or popular even though they may not be the nicest kids.
Big worry? Looking into Margot's eyes and pensive expression I can definitely say "yes it is!" Although I am sure she could eventually sort all this out herself I love how she freely talks to me about this. If I can play a small role in calming her fears along the way, I think that's pretty cool. I can't help solve all the problems of the world but I can help solve this.
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