Buddy Program

Buddy Check, as the swimming beach makes you raise hands with your buddy, to minimize a lone kid drowning under the dock. Our buddy check is Lil'Me going on the overnight BD party with Happy. Trying to explain to her that when she makes good choices then she gets more opportunities and better things, as my hands expand into a ball and then when she has trouble making her own choices then there is not as many things available to her. Deer in the headlights. The strange stare that Buzzy gives when he feels jaded about the conceptions and reality of having to be the "bad guy." Happy forgot to pack a sleeping bag even, but of course brought her little puppy that pees. This party is for a friend that graciously invited both girls. Lil'Me has her in class, and so does Happy for the reading intervention program. So a great mix of kids. At my girls party this girl swapped her classmates for the small group of kids, that was her comfort level, playing with the pee pee puppy all night. As much as we dislike sleepovers, as the girls are getting older, it seems inevitable. Not for Happy though; her melding characteristics, vulnerability, and communication/processing delays put her at greater risk of being victimized and we are not going to afford her that. Unfortunately, she will likely never appreciate or understand this favor we will provide for her. Lil'Me, as she asked why we wouldn't let them spend the night and I said because Dad is worried about people being creepy. "mom, I am old enough, I work at the library, I know to scream and get away from someone creepy." The condition being they were both invited and Lil'Me carries the responsibility and maturity card big enough for both of them. They had explicit instructions to sleep too:)