Our house has been joyfully crazy for the past few days, as we have six good friends staying with us in our ~900sf apartment. It has been wonderful to have them here; the kids have loved it and we have all been able to use the connection to help refill our love tanks.
Much like me, though, our son Kai is a bit of an introvert. He is capable of and enjoys playing loud games with a lot of people, but he gets his true energy from being alone or with a small number of people playing quietly. It has been wonderful to watch him over the past few days, as he has stepped seamlessly from periods of intense engagement to periods of relative solitude, without excuse or embarrassment. Due, in part, to the fact that he has been allowed the freedom to find his natural style when it comes to being around people, he has developed the ability to self-regulate. When he is with people, it is because he wants to be, not because he feels obligated to be. My little boy is becoming a pretty fantastic person.
What a great lesson for me. I am trying to stay motivated to write my unschooling book while working on Daddy 365, and simultaneously trying to be a good Dad and partner. Recently, I got a small "from home" consulting gig that is occupying my thoughts as well as my time, which is great but adds another level of engagement in a new project. As I watch my son effortlessly guide himself past obligation and into a place that works best for him, I can feel a shift of my own priorities to get back to simple basics a bit. Not sure where that will lead or if it will even stick, but I am definitely thankful for his positive example.
Our oldest daughter is pretty introverted. I have noticed just recently that her social skills seem to have exploded and the only thing that has changed is we have stopped pushing her to interact, it is all by her choice. As her comfort level with herself rises her social graces seem to be rising along with her confidence. We backed off because we felt it was right but the unintended consequences have been awesome.
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