Abby has learned through daycare some very important lessons related to the friendships she has built. The goods and bads of these friendships we have all seen, but luckily almost everything has been extremely positive. I never imagined that by age 2 she could have developed so much in all the important aspects of social interactions with a peer - a friend.

Being gentle with one another, sharing toys, sharing excitement towards something, taking turns, saying you're sorry, showing kindness, consoling one another, and respecting one another are all lessons teachers had been enforcing on Abby and her classmates since she first entered daycare at 6 months old. As she grew, we tried reinforcing these lessons, but without other kids her age at home, we had to really trust her teachers to be the primary leads in these lessons.

The biggest lessons came around 18 months, though, when we learned that Abby started forming stronger bonds with certain kids in her toddler class. These girls spent all their outdoor free times together, preferred to sit with one another during all activities, and was certainly more willing to jump up and help one another when one needed it. From these girls she has learned so much about emotional empathy, the do's and don'ts (etiquette) of social behavior, better communication (the how and when appropriate - not just improved vocabulary), and the give and take of relationships.

As the youngest of her new friends, she was learning a lot of important lessons by being on the receiving side. For example, when she was dropped off in the morning and cried because I was leaving, her friend would come over, hug her, and reiterate to her that her Mommy and Daddy will be back soon. When kids weren't sharing toys with her, her friend will remind others that everyone needs to share and bring Abby something to do. When Abby got older, she naturally picked up a lot of these positive social skills from her friends and have reciprocated all of their good intentions. We have been very fortunate that her friends are all good influences.

She looks forward to school to see her friends and will ask for them on weekends. One of her best friends, Madison, moved away a couple of weeks ago and it has been heart-wrenching watching her deal with it. Madison and her family were also neighbors of ours and with our toddlers always asking to go to each other's houses, we ended up getting together outside of school several times. When we told Abby that Madison had moved, she ran over to the window, looked towards Madison's house, and cried. She continues to ask, "Where did Madison and Haley go?" Haley is Madison's 4-yr old sister. And every time she plays in her kitchen, she sets out plates, bowls, and spoons out for Dad, Mom, Madison and Haley....always.

I am very proud of Abby and the confident, well-mannered (her teacher says she's got impeccable manners - at least at school!), friendly, generous, sweet little person she has become and I know a lot of her personality has been honed by the great friendships she has been fortunate enough to have already had.