Last night and today we had house guests visiting who have four children – the same friends we recently visited in Ellensburg. Ruthie and Thomas spent all evening last night and all day today running around and playing. Occasionally Thomas would have a melt down and come crying into my lap with his blanket, then after a good snuggle he’d be off again.
Ruthie, on the other hand, thrived in her element as an extrovert and was never seen or heard from. She was engaged all. day. long. with these other kids – playing house, playing birthday party, playing doctor, swinging, climbing trees – and she hardly spoke a word to me. I think she asked me for some juice at one point, but other than that she didn’t really care about me. She never tired of the activity, and I couldn’t bear to take her out of the mix for a nap – so on she went, all day long.
Late in the afternoon as the visiting family said goodbye and crossed the street to their car, Ruthie shouted to me from the swings, “Mama! Will you come and play with me?”
They had barely left the yard and she was already craving the stimulation!
I’ve always been more of an introvert, and at Ruthie’s age, I probably would have been hiding away in my bedroom somewhere or have stayed very close to mum.