Yeah, you could say I worry a little

So this is my boy. If you were in third grade, you totally would want to be his friend, right? He's so cute and really nice, too. Since the school year has begun, Ben making friends has been a bit of an obsession for me. Over the summer, I was able to mostly suppress my angst about the transition Ben soon would face. But as soon as Sept. 1 hit, my worry was back in full force.

Here's my thinking: I was confident Ben would be fine with the academics of third grade, so if I could just ensure that he made a friend or two in his new class, things would be golden and I could move on to finding my next thing to worry about. The first days of school didn't seem to be going so well. Ben would come home from school grouchy as all get out. When I would ask him what he did at recess, he would say, "Nothing, just walked around." Every day after school, I would pepper him with the same litany of questions: "Did you play with anyone at recess"? "Who did you sit with at lunch"? I wouldn't have blamed him if he had finally snapped at me: "Mom, would you shut up with that already!"

Now, I don't feel like Ben needs a whole passel of friends. My expectations are realistic - God knows, I was never popular in school. Even one good friend would be enough to satisfy me. Just as I was beginning to fear that Ben would be condemned to a life of solitude at school, of forever wandering the playground alone, things began to change. On Wednesday, he got a call from a classmate, Brodie. On Thursday and Friday, he talked on the phone with his friend, Gabby. Yesterday, for more than an hour, he and Gabby played Webkinz while chatting on the phone. I'm sure some day soon, I'll be harping on Ben to get off the phone already. But when I do, I'll do it with a secret smile.