Posts tagged - park

Mushroom’s microscooter

So, This is partly a post about Mushroom ‘graduating from the mini microscooter with a seat, to the older toddler (from age 3, according to the box!) version and partly a post about how kids always seem to want what others have (tell me it’s not just Mushroom)..!

Back in November last year, Mr B and I decided to buy Mushroom a scooter for Christmas. This decision was based on the fact that he repeatedly stole other children’s scooters every time we went to the park. A sound decision, we thought.

He opened it on Christmas day and could not have been more excited. Initially he rode it with the seat but we could see that he would quickly outgrow this (he’s pretty tall). At first, he would only ride it indoors, taking Cloudbabies’ Baba Green (a toy, obviously) for little trips on the back of it from the living room to the kitchen. We often took this version of the scooter to the park and it was hit and miss whether he would ride it outside. I often ended up carrying it. Just as he started to get more confident riding it outside it became clear he had pretty much outgrown it.

In February we took the seat off. Since then, he has so far he has scooted on it twice. Both times indoors. Outside, he prefers to turn it around and push it as though it’s a buggy with an imaginary child in it. Who knows, perhaps that is what is going on in his little head. What perplexes me though, is this: If we come across another child in the park with a scooter – the same scooter, more often that not – then he will still try to steal it and scoot on it. What is that? Anyone? Or is it really just Mushroom?

Mushroom will only scoot on other people's scooters

Disclosure: Just to be clear – this is not a review. Mushroom just happens to have a microscooter and I have linked to the brand to show which one, in case anyone reading likes the look of it and wants to buy one. Microscooters did not request this post and we did not receive payment for it. We do like the brand though. A lot. Read more about my review policy.

2 Comments

Mushroom’s guide to making friends

I was over at Sarah Pylas‘ blog, Grenglish, last week, reading her lovely post, Best Friends, about how her son will be separated from his current best friends when he starts school in September. I commented that Mushroom was soon to move up to the toddler room (my baby’s no longer a baby!) at nursery and wondered how much he would miss his best buddy from the baby room, who’s a couple of months younger than him. Sarah reminded me how fickle they are at this young age, and reassured me that Mushroom would find it easy to make new friends. Of course, she was right. In fact, the first ‘settling in’ day in his new room at nursery, Mushroom was supposed to return to the baby room after his nap. He was led to the door, and he just stood there and frowned. Eventually, he was asked whether he wanted to go back to the toddler room, at which he nodded enthusiastically and ran off to play. So much for missing his best buddy.

Mushroom and one of his current 'best' friends

All this got me thinking about all the friends he’s made so far, including those that have lasted just the duration of an afternoon at the park, and how he goes about the business of making friends. The result was this simple guide – from Mushroom’s perspective – on how to make friends.

  • Meet someone you like the look of. Age unimportant. One of my favourite (non-family) friends is about 100 (he’s probably about 60 Mushroom – Mum). The first time we met he showed me how to put a leaf on a stick. He’s a genius
  • Go up to them and smile. Say something. It doesn’t matter what/whether they understand or not
  • If you get a positive response, you could try and give them cuddle. Warning: Not everyone likes this. Don’t go in too quick
  • Follow them around, mimic them a bit (not too much! You have to do your own thing a bit, too. Don’t lose yourself). Then try to get them to follow you.
  • Offer to share your snack with them.
  • If you’d like to see them again, try and get your Mum/Dad to make friends with their Mum/Dad. If you can’t talk yet, I find talking loudly and pointing wildly helps. But it doesn’t matter if you don’t see them again, the most important thing is to have fun
  • Wave and blow kisses when you/your friend has to leave. It doesn’t matter if they don’t see, it’s the thought that counts. If you really liked them it’s ok to cry. Best to let it out in the moment rather than dwell on it later.

Mushroom, like most toddlers, sees every child he meets – in the park, in the supermarket, in the street – as a potential new friend. He’s more shy with adults and defers to me before approaching new grown-ups but still sees them all the same way. I think this is a lovely way to look at the world and wonder if there come a point when as adults we – consciously or unconsciously – decide that we have ‘enough’ friends and stop making the effort. What do you think…?

5 Comments