TINKERGARTEN - Day One

Yes, today was the day we stepped out into the world and attempted to make new friends 😖 I was actually really excited for today, and kind of nervous, like I was the new girl again at school and unaware of what class would bring...would they like me? Would I be the weird one? Am I dressed right? What's the food like? 

For those of you who have never heard of it before this blog post, Tinkergarten is a way for little ones (18+months) to learn and play and grow in the sun with different 'classes' each week. As our leader put it today, 'we give the kids an agenda and let them figure it out themselves the way they need to.' Which is pretty friggin' cool, in my opinion, because every one learns differently, and personally, my son doesn't need to be contained trying to learn things at 2 years old. Anyway, today, the class was about MUD - specifically making the mud, sticking it to a tree, and creating faces with things they found on the ground! Except....

Abe turned 2 at the end of March this year, and while he is one of the biggest(genes), he is actually the youngest of the kids, by a year. Also, he's never had interaction with other kids, really, except his cousins, who of course, are all older than he is. It was a learning experience for everyone. Abe loves mud and dirt and grass and being outside, and while he's never gotten to play with anyone his age, he is always memorized when he sees other tiny humans, so I thought for sure he would do awesome today! And bonus for mom, OTHER ADULTS to have conversations with! I was wrong on both accounts.

Abe was more than happy to play in the mud and hang out and even attempted to make friends once or twice, but mostly he was cool doing his own thing. During snack time, he attempted to ask for a raspberry(completely ignoring the food I brought for him) from a very cute 3 year old little girl, whom he also hugged several times, before running off into the bushes again.

Myself, trying to be a grown up and talk to the other parents, honestly could not think of a single appropriate thing to add to any conversation going on around me. Gibberish. Random facts that did not need to be mixed in and complete gibberish in my brain, so I stayed silent and smiled until I had to chase Abel AGAIN before he ran into the skate park and got himself run over. We were a mess.  

By the time we left I was ready to cry at my failure as a mom. Neither of us had any social skills, we're a wreck with out Trevor's outgoing personality with us! Class ended, we said our goodbye's, dusted off the mud, and went on to have lunch, completely defeated. But today wasn't about me, it was about Abe and him learning to make friends, because clearly he is not going to learn from his momma. And what better way than tinkergaren?!? Looking at him in his seat, he was a happy camper - he didn't want to go! He had FUN, and that's what I wanted, right? For him to have another fun play outlet, meet new people, get out there. And he did! The kids were friendly, our teacher was AMAZING, he was outside, the learning was fun. He ended up hugging several strangers. He played with a cute little girl. He waited patiently for a raspberry rather than just taking one from her(which I am VERY proud of, BTW. She ended up not sharing which is totally fine, but dude is working his manners!) By all accounts, we had a damn good day! 

I had to remind myself he is only 2, this is a new thing for both of us, and the most important thing, he had fun. We're both learning as we go, and I can't imagine a better way to get us both out there. Today was not how I planned things to go but they rarely ever are, and it still turned out to be a wonderful day. We can't wait for next week! 

Wanna see snippets of 'class' today? 

For more info on what Tinkergarten is all about or to find a class near you, check out their website!