Friday, we had a Circle of Friends meeting at our house. We played a game from Little Women called Rigamarole, where a story is started, and each person adds onto it, and it becomes very funny with all the twists and turns of ten people’s imaginations. In an amazing display of bravery and willingness, Riley began the story, then went around to each of her friends, recording them on her iPOD, so we could play it back. The story’s title was “Beware of Over Sized Bananas.” In the photo above, Riley and her friends (and her brother) are attempting to listen to it on her iPod, but it came out too faint for ten noisy girls (and a sweet boy) to hear, so I had to quickly type it up and send the girls home with copies.
Riley did very well. After two rounds of Rigamarole and snacks, the girls went upstairs to play.
Riley appeared content to kind of watch what the other girls were doing with her stuff this time. It seemed to be too overwhelming to get right in there like she does with Seth or friends she knows really well. The girls were here for about two hours total, so a little over an hour up in her room.
15 minutes before they were scheduled to leave, Riley came downstairs claiming “boredom.”
She did not lose it on her friends. She did not melt down. She did not whine, or cry. She came downstairs and told her mom and dad she was bored. She took care of herself. She removed herself from the room! In our book that is cause for celebration. That is heroic. That makes her the coolest kid on earth, and us, her parents, cool by proxy!
She saw all her friends off with unprompted hugs and told each of them, “Thank you for coming.”
She went on to have a terrific evening, and a wonderful weekend.
She is such a good person. I am so proud of her, and I wish it was easier for her.
No one tries harder than Riley.
Huraay, Riley, for doing so wonderfully at recognizing your needs and meeting them! 🙂 I love the pics of the circle all smooshed together to listen to the story! 🙂
#1–Great job, Riley! And great job, you, for continuing to facilitate this wonderful experience for her.
#2–What is it with “boredom?” My daughter uses “I’m bored” as a catch-all phrase meaning discomfort, I think. It can be anything from physical (she once complained of being bored in the car and then started throwing up) to mental/emotional. It rarely means what I think of as boredom. We have tried to encourage her to refine her use of language, so that we can really understand what it is that’s going wrong, what she needs. Some success, and more as she matures, but still not easy, and that word still comes up pretty regularly.
I love reading stories like this about older girls. Riley is such an inspiration.
I think her mom and dad work pretty hard, too.
xo
I love this story, and I love the pictures.
Whoa! Huge! Yep, Jack claims boredom, too, sometimes, when clearly it is overwhelming. Yay, Riley!
Yay!
AY-MEN. love that girl.
You are SO cool by proxy! This time Riley is in my #1 human spot.
Just had to come back here again, can’t stay away from the coolness factor! NEHBM of Seth (and a lot has been made of him, but not enough). He is some kind of cool to hang with all those girls like that.
Aww, cool!! Yay Riley! (and I agree with Carrie re: the boy child. he is going to make a great boyfriend someday!)
I really love the title of the story. And if we were not talking about a sweet little girl’s party, I may be a joke about it. But we are, and that would be wrong.
🙂
Amber,
I would have been disappointed if someone had not mentioned it.
Beware.
What a wonder of a girl she is. I’m totally in love with her pink room!
I need to know where you got those princess borders for her room – STAT!
That’s such a gift – to know when to say when. It seems to me, as the mother of a super-authentic girl, that you are one, too.
I love that you guys were supportive of her self-regulating, that she is getting it, and that she, bless her heart, tries like nobody else.
Miss M prefers the one-on-one playdates. Does Riley have a preference? I admire her ability to do large groups of girls.
I think I’d get tired, too.
Go Riley Girl!