The BEST day ever...

Hans loves to feel like one of the big boys. He loves it when ASid's friends come over. A couple of days ago was no exception! It was ASid's 15th birthday and he invited 4 friends to come over ‎to our home to hang out and have pizza. 2 of the friends were from ASid's new high school and Hans was super excited to meet them.

The night before, Hans could barely contain his excitement. He proclaimed that the next day was going to be the best day of his life.

As each of ASid's friends arrived, Hans made sure he was front and centre of the "Welcome Party" by introducing himself with gusto! It was super cute and absurd at the same time. Hans also made it a point to open the door to his bedroom and show off his well-honed skill at creating amazing messes in every nook, corner and available space! That was annoying and embarrassing for me, but somewhat empowering for Hans. He felt like he was measuring up on some invisible scale. It was a strange display of man cub like bravado that seemed to announce to the high school aged guests that Hans is no less than them!

Hans stuck with the 5 teenagers ‎like his life depended on it. After about an hour, I had to do a quick grocery run; when I got back, Hans wasn't with the teen gang. Upon inquiry, I found out that Hans was relegated to the basement. When I went to check up on him, he said that his older brother told him to get lost. I felt sorry for the little guy, but glad that he was handling the situation quite well.

Hans tried to join the older kids one more time, and was told to leave as the game they were playing was too mature for Hans. The second exclusion hit him hard. ‎Hans walked away and literally drowned out his sorrows by putting on headphones and watching some YouTube content on the iPad. He barely spoke with anyone afterwards, and it almost looked like he was deliberately disengaging himself from the masses. Strangely, by not wanting to associate with the teens, Hans' cool factor increased. The other teens were drawn to him and wanted to know what he was watching/doing?! Hans simply nodded his head and silently signaled to them; he didn't really engage in small talk!

When ASid's friends left and I asked Hans if it had been the best day of his life, he responded with "No, it was a normal day." ‎I expected a barrage of complaints and possibly a therapeutic session to help him deal with rejection, and no such drama ensued! It was an 8 year old who had already moved on.

A normal day is just as good as an anticipated BEST day…sometimes even better!