I had a completely different blog post planned for today. It was a super busy day and I'm just getting to this now, and I'm so glad because this post is so much better for today!
Let me tell you about Peter...my Peter-man.
When Peter started Kindergarten we became aware of his social anxiety. He would only whisper to one girl in class. He didn't even speak with his teacher all year. Selective Mutism was the label. It was hard to know that he didn't talk with anyone at school, that making friends was difficult. But I'll never forget those few friends who played with him no matter what. They encouraged him and built him up. They were ECSTATIC when he first spoke to them (in first grade). Now in the 7th Grade, Peter is doing amazing. He's a regular almost-teenager.
As I sit here writing this, just outside Peter is gathering with his friends for an early birthday celebration. Being born on Christmas Eve doesn't allow for great parties. So we're doing this Fall party. The bon-fire is going, the pizza is almost gone, and the s'mores will come out soon. I can hear those squeaky almost teenage-man voices as they chat about -- whatever teen boys chat about.
These friends, they're amazing! I'm so happy that Peter had 6th grade in the public school system to find these friends. Out of the 7 boys here only Peter and one other are home-schooled this year. But right now, there has been no missed beat, no lost friendship, just seamless fun and chatter. I have technology and an old iPhone to thank for that.
In January if you would have asked me when Peter would get a phone I would have said, 'when he learns to drive'. Then Covid hit and he needed to maintain his connections. He doesn't have a phone number but his friends can text him and Facetime him. He doesn't have social media pages but he can play games online with his friends. The iPhone is old, and there's no telling how long it will last, but it's a thing now. I guess we'll have to do what we have to do to keep him connected. Because this right now, is so so good for him!
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