Friendship

Squeaky & Pirate Girl had a big adventure today, to see Peppa Pig at the theatre in Cardiff.  They really do make me laugh together, as they're getting older they just riff off each other, and have us all in fits of giggles.  OK, it's a bit like having a pair of insane parrots in the back of the car sometimes, especially when they're having a competition to see who can shout "MUMMEEEEEEE" the loudest and most often, but really, they're just so cute, and absolutely love each other's company.  Letting them loose together in public is a bit of a challenge, they're so fast these days, when we've got all the bags, coats, glowsticks, sweets, merchandise etc that comes with a trip out with 2 year olds!

It's really good for me, as much as anything, to see how normal she is.  There's times where you wonder if your child is particularly naughty, or if you're the only parent ever who can't cope with yet another round of squealing and demanding chocolate, but spending time with another parent and another child of the same age, just reminds you that, yes, they're all like that.  There's only so much of that you get from parent & toddler groups, sometimes you need to see them in a different environment.

I'm loving watching how friendships develop with Squeaky.  She's still so trusting, everyone is her friend.  She only needs to see a playground, and she demands "Me play with me friends", even when there's no-one she knows there, they're her friends regardless.  It's a lovely time of life, when you have no reason not to trust everyone you meet, though it scares me in ways I can't quite put into words.

Here's a couple of photos I took last month when we were in Spain for a week.  Squeaky made friends with a couple of little Spanish girls who were staying in the same hotel as us, and they spent their evenings haring around the dancefloor, getting in the way of the elderly Spaniards ballroom dancing, playing on the machines, and generally having a whale of a time.



The other two girls were about a year or so older than Squeaky, as you can tell from the height difference, and they spoke as much English as Squeaky speaks Spanish (i.e. none), but it didn't stop them enjoying each other's company.  While the trusting nature of children frightens me, I'm slightly envious of how easily they can make friends.  It all gets so much harder as we grow older.

Oh, and for those of you who have been playing the Spot The Squeaky's Clothes game, she's wearing the same dress I found in the NCT sale at the start of last year, that she wore to my friend's wedding reception last summer.  Sadly though, sometime between trying on & packing before we left, and coming home, she had enough of a growth spurt that the dress doesn't do up now!  Seriously, in a WEEK!!  Thank goodness it's car boot season again, we need new clothes!  (I can't blame my clothes not doing up by the end of a holiday on growth spurts, that's entirely down to enjoying the food too much!)