Eli: First friend

Tonight at the Chang Thanksgiving dinner, Tom's cousin Lawrence and Many were up from SoCal, along with 4 year old Joshua and 18 month old Colin. It was the kind of family dinner that parents love because your kids are off playing somewhere and you don't worry where they are or what they're doing because there's always someone around watching and willing to intervene if chaos breaks out.

Since infancy, it seemed like Eli was a social baby. Now as a mobile toddler, he is friendly with everyone, offering easy hugs, smiles, wanting to sit in laps. He is non-discriminatory, not particularly wanting me or Tom most of the time (it does make me wonder if he gets enough attention home if he's so eager to look for love elsewhere!). He even once hugged the legs of a complete stranger at church, not mistaking him for Tom's legs, just giving someone we've never met, a hug.

I can't really tell the nature of Eli's socialness. Is he a social butterfly with lots of acquaintances but no true friends? Because a lot of our playdates are more for Tobey, poor second child just tags along and I haven't really had him play with kids that might be his own friends. And I can't say that Eli has latched on to any of our playgroup's second kids because they're all slightly younger than he is. He got mobile and curious much sooner than them and hasn't really played with them much yet.

But tonight, it seems that Eli made his first friend, as much of a friend that toddlers can have. Most of tonight our kids were bopping around Auntie Ofelia's house, loosely watched by someone nearby. Every once in a while, I'd either run into or look for Eli and most of the time, Colin was nearby. They'd follow each other around, not quite stuck like glue, but more like a yo-yo, sometimes they were far apart but inevitably they would be back together if you just watch for a minute. Obviously they can't talk to each other and they didn't even make a lot of eye contact with each other. But almost like they couldn't help it, it was clear they liked being with each other. They played with the door together. I saw them dropping wooden train tracks into the empty exersaucer together. Tom saw them picking at a plugged in nightlight together (getting into trouble already). It was a two-way street kind of companionship, which always makes an observing parent feel all warm inside.

Many says that Colin is the social of her two kids as well. Meanwhile Joshua and Tobey are parallel playing in the room with the train set together, barely saying a word except, "Could you move?" Eli and Colin are just about the same age, size, they even both wore red tonight. And, both being quick to hug, they gave each other a hug when we left.

Too bad we don't see Lawrence and Many often; this was the first time we'd met Colin. The next time we see them they might be at that awkward stage where kids look at each other for 15 min. before they warm up and play with each other. Well, maybe Joshua and Tobey, but apparently not Eli and Colin.