Oh, to be 4 again

There's something so free about being a little kid. It means having instant friends. Jessica will go and play with any other kid without the least bit hesitation. Granted, there was the time last summer when a mean 8 or 9 year old told her "I'm not playing with you!" when Jessica tried to include her in her game (that made me want to yell out her for not being nice to my baby girl), but generally other kids respond very well.

Lately, Jessica has been wanting to make playdates with the kids she meets when we're out and about. The last three unknown kids she met were Jared from the fish restaurant, Nina from the drive-in and some girl whose name she didn't even get from ChildWatch at the Y. Days later, she'll ask, "Can I have a playdate with ?" as if I can just conjure them up at will.

It's too bad this doesn't work for adults. I can't imagine walking up to another adult, not even introducing myself, and just having a conversation about parenting or the last episode of American Idol.