The REAL John

Alex is having a really hard time with the idea of making new friends. Whenever I ask him to make a list of boys to invite to his birthday party he tells me he doesn't want any boys there. I offer him suggestions but he declines. Kids at school have asked me if he could come over for a play date but when I ask Alex he doesn't want to go.

I have asked him why and the answer is always the same. "I already have friends, Isaac and Gabe and John." I ask him who his friends are at school and he says he doesn't have any. I ask the teachers and they tell me the list of kids he plays with. When I confront Alex with this information he admits to playing with them, but reminds me that his friends are Isaac and Gabe and John. I love that he is loyal to his buddies, but all three of those boys live in different states now. He has a few girl friends but he needs some boys to play with too.

It makes me sad. I know that he gets this fear of moving forward from ME. I know he is lonely and he doesn't need to be. There are other friends out there to be made, but Alex is not built that way. He doesn't let too many people in and when he does he hangs on pretty tight. So imagine his excitement yesterday when I told him John and Sara would be passing through town and would spend the night with us.

He said, "The REAL John is coming?" His joy could not be contained. It leaped and spilled and yelled its way through my house all evening. It was bittersweet to see the kids reunited. I was so used to having the Morton kids run through my house a couple times a week and it felt so cozy and LOUD to have them back, but I knew the morning would come and they would be on the road back to Minnesota.

I am so happy that they stopped for the night though, for Alex, and for me because I was really excited to see the REAL Katelin again too.