Friendship groups

The six weeks holiday is over and the kids have gone to school. I started my blog in the same way a couple of weeks ago but bare with me, I am hoping to make a different point. Back in the last academic year, up until July, we would take the smaller child to pre-school and the older one to proper school two days a week. Their parents managed the other three days. Thankfully they were at the same building and at different start times and so the whole affair was fairly easy to accommodate. At each drop off, a group of parents would gather, waiting for the doors to open and the chance to deposit their charges. 

Naturally, people would talk and small friendship groups emerged around each class. We ended up with a small group of people that we would talk to, one at pre-school and another at proper school. The opportunity to chat with people made the school drop-off enjoyable and, to be honest, I looked forward to the days when we were on duty.

Then the summer holidays came and we all split up to go our separate ways. The start of term came and classes had been rearranged. The elder grandchild had simply moved classes and so stayed with the same cohort as last academic year. It was different for the younger grandchild however as he was now in reception. His group at pre-school was split across three separate classes. 

Like a snowglobe, the friendship groups from last year had been split up as well. People were all over the place, trying to come to terms with the new arrangements and it was some time before the old friendship groups started to come back together again. Those whose children were split across two classes are still floundering though. Accretion of new groups takes time and effort.

I haven’t made any new friends amongst the younger grandchild’s parents and carers yet. After all, I am considerably older than most of them. I need to understand who his friends are in class and use that as a way into future conversations. There is a bit of strategy involved as well as observation and the taking of opportunities. 

I miss the friendship groups of last year yet I’m sure it will all come together anew. Hopefully it won’t take long.