(Delayed response due to being so busy...)
In the group that I'm thinking about in particular, there's one boy who's pretty cool with him (This boy also lives nearby and me and his mom are friends, so we see each other apart from the other older boys. That boy also has spent time being the younger guy in a crowd, so seems more receptive to playing with a younger kid, as the older kids played with him.). The other kids aren't outwardly mean about it, but I just get a vibe that they're not cool with the little kid. Like, the older boys will take off on scooters or bikes and my son will try to keep up, but can't do it...and they don't seem to be stopping to turn around and wait for him.
I was talking to the mom of the nice boy and she tried to reassure me, saying that my son doesn't seem to feel upset that he's lagging behind and he doesn't feel that he's being excluded. I just....ugh, ya know?
Both of my kids are way more into older kids, so I think it's just something that I'm going to have to deal with. I think things might also get better as we work on getting out and expanding our circle. I just want him to have a good friend or two and since his interest is in these bike/scooter things, it just seems that he's -- at least for now -- going to be more in "big kid" territory.
