Making friends

Among the many things I admire in my son is his innate self-confidence, his ability to make friends with pretty much anyone, and strike up conversations with his peers.

In fairness, it seems to be much easier here in Ottawa than where I was from. As a child, I had to be careful of the local thugs at the bottom of the street, of marauding gangs from different schools, of pretty much anyone really...

Maybe we helicopter parent too much now - and maybe this innate openness isn't natural. But it is nice to be able to sit and watch his interactions and hear his laughter. And I, for one, hope it never changes.