Warning: This is a serious vent. I just want to tear my hair out. So DD 4.5 has a friend who is (newly) 8. The girls play very well together - games, create plays, read - and seek each other out to spend time with. The other girl's mom even says that my DD plays games, etc. better than the other kids her DD hangs out with ages 7-10 and that she doesn't worry about the games being mishandled or fighting over rules, etc. when my DD is at their house the way she does with the other older kids.
Then she turns around and says that her DD is tired of "always having to watch the little kids like Boo". What?! WAIT! She doesn't "watch" Boo. They play board games together, practice acting out plays and writing songs together. What the *heck* is this "watch" business? The girls don't *have* to hang out. No one is forcing the other girl to invite my DD over. No one is forcing her to take us up on invitations to come over and visit.
The other mom also mentions emotional maturity levels. I understand that given the difference in age there will be some variation between the girls. But again, the other mom has commented that Boo often is more mature than the older girls. (Boo is very socially aware, considerate of others, diplomatic; it's just her nature.) I know that there are some things the Boo finds fun (like a kiddie ride that was too small for the other girl) that the other girl thinks are silly and there are things that the older girl does that Boo doesn't quite understand, yet. That's to be expected.
I just don't know how to take the comments. They seem double edged. Maybe I am just sensitive, because I thought that *FINALLY* Boo has a friend who likes to do things with her - read together, write poetry and short stories, create and act out plays, do nature studies, ride bikes, play hopscotch. A friend that doesn't care that she's younger/smaller. And to hear that the other girl is "tired of watching" Boo, just hurts. And I don't know if it's really the other girl saying it, I mean she even calls and sends e-mails to my DD or if the mom has a problem with the age difference.
To top it off, she constantly tells me that I'll understand re: emotional maturity when Boo is older like her DD. What am I twit? I understand it, *NOW* Thankyouverymuch. I also know that my DD is very mature for her age and I realize that she is still only 4.5, but unless the other mom is basing her yapping on something more than just my DD's age...
...I really just want to tell her to shut up!
Ugh!
CAPS for emphasis only. Misspellings and poor grammar for emphasis, too! Not really, but I don't feel up to editing.