Playgroup

Here's Isaac with the kids in his Wednesday morning playgroup. We've been getting together to play with these folks for about six months now, and we really enjoy their company. Well, I enjoy it, anyway.

From left to right in the top row, we have Shane, Isaac, Jasper, Max, and Julia, all two years old. Seated on the ground are Sam, who is one year old, and Fia, who is two. (Not pictured are one-year-old Gemma, and infants Kai, Sylvia, Sebastian, Aurora, and Wilder.) Yes, there are 13 kids, which sounds like a lot, but really it is only eight families.

Isaac knows all the kids' names, but he doesn't really play with them. He's not that interested in participating in a group, which is perhaps a trait he's inherited from his parents. (Are these things genetic? It seems too soon for it to be nurture.) Anyway, he's more likely to actually interact with another child in a more intimate setting, but even that is no sure thing.

Isaac had his two-and-a-half year check-up today, and the doctor asked if Isaac was enrolled in a preschool or playschool. I said no, but that we were active in two playgroups -- lots of exposure to other families, but no curriculum or instruction. Then the doctor asked how Isaac reacted to other children, and I said, "He doesn't seem to care one way or the other. I mean, he gets along with them, he doesn't pick fights or anything, but he doesn't really play with them." The doctor nodded and continued taking notes on his little developmental checklist.

I wonder if Isaac passed the "developmentally appropriate" test?