Thanks for this post gratified3. I have to admit I am one of the parents that has heard this over and over. It gets to the point that you just expect this, so when my 3 yr old is on the playground and shows no interest in playing with the other kids (all her age or younger), I think, yep, here we go. I'm not even considering that she is having fun playing her own game using her imagination which quite frankly is advanced and probably a little too much for the kids if she tried to bring them into the play. I know she is well liked at school and have noticed that the 1st graders adore her. Though I have not witnessed it, I suspect that the 1st graders involve her in a lot of their play time. One day while picking her up they ran over to her and hugged her saying her name and than asked me what class she was in. They were shocked to find out that she was only 3. I have also noticed that the same 1st graders don't show the same attention to the other younger kids. DD is a kid that has always gravitated to older kids so it isn't shocking that she seeks the 1st graders out, but it still shocks me how welcoming they are with her. I think your post re-enforces what I seem to overlook. Katelyn is not a 'normal' child but she isn't anti-social either. She is just creating her own path and I have to allow her the freedom to do this and not worry that she will never fit in.
