“Will someone come play with me?”
Loneliness and character development
His forlorn request could be heard across the elementary playground from the uncomfortable bench where I sat and watched my son. He sounded so sad.
“Will someone play with me?” he pleaded several times, unanswered.
Other kids played nearby, and I encouraged him,
“You have to go over to the other kids and ask. They probably won’t hear you,” I declared.
We’d attended his school open house with my ex-wife. After we met his new teacher and he saw he’d have some returning friends from the previous year, he wanted to play on the playground. His mother said her goodbyes to us. He would go home with me later after the traffic cleared, for our four-day arrangement split 50/50 among co-parents.
My son is an only child without regular playmates, so I oblige him whenever possible. I also make it a point to get him out to parks and playgrounds and provide opportunities to be around other kids his age. His friends in my neighborhood have all moved away, and he clings to anyone near him because he loves to socialize and play.
Near his school, he has no friends in his mother’s neighborhood. He goes to a public school, and the area isn’t sought after, except maybe by young urban hipsters…
