Magnificent Breakthrough!

   I'm quite a proud Mumma today.

Miss Maddison played Pass The Parcel at a party today!!

     For most parents, it's pretty much standard that their kid play games at parties. They all join in, and have fun, and laugh and enjoy the day, and blah blah blah.
Yes.
For most kids.
 Not for my Maddison.

Maddison loves going to birthday parties. She loves the idea of a birthday party. She loves the food, and loves the kids. But she doesn't quite understand them.
She doesn't get that you need to join in the games that are played. She doesn't understand that it's not a time to be off in your own little world and playing alone.

    At a birthday party, Maddison is often watching a movie, or watching tv, or playing by herself. Not surprising really, because when she does try to join in she's not very successful. 
At her 5th birthday party, her two cousins in attendance were bullying her - they told all the other kids not to play with Maddison, and completely ostricized her. She was found crying her eyes out, and told us what had happened. The kids were told off, but Maddison is still upset to this day about it. She often brings it up, and as much as we tell her that it's in the past and not to worry about it because it won't happen again, it's still upsetting for her.


   But today she went to a birthday party for one of the little girls in her class.
I hung around for about half an hour before I headed home, just to make sure she was settling into the party. It was an outdoors party at a local park. Since Maddison isn't a wanderer any more, I don't worry about leaving her there without me to supervise her.
   As I was about to leave, I saw Madd leave the playground and head over to a grassy area. She lay down on the ground and covered her face with her hands.
I went over to her to find out what was wrong, and she was upset that the other kids weren't playing with her. She couldn't quite understand that, at a party, not everyone plays with everyone. They all go off into little groups and play. They don't have to play all together, and that there's nothing wrong with that. Happy  again, she went off to play.
     It was quite good that she actually WANTED to play with the others, usually she's just off doing her own thing. But the best was yet to come.

    When I got back home after picking Maddison up from the party, it was mentioned on Facebook that Maddison had joined in and played Pass The Parcel! This is a first for Maddison. 


Since getting glasses, Maddison has been a completely different child. It's like a miracle. Glasses have been the breakthrough we needed to get through into Maddworld. 
And it's brought her out into the real world.


Hooray for parties! Hooray for pass the parcel. Hooray for glasses.


And HOORAY for Maddison!