Letting go

One of the things that sold us on choosing the villa that we did was the fact that one of the times we came by to check it out there were kids playing in the courtyard. With Stella being an only child she doesn't have a built in playmate at home, so seeing a group of kids outside running around was a big check on the pro side of the pro/con list for us. 

After a couple of nervous greetings on Stella's part, she finally decided to go outside and play with the kids and now we have a nightly routine! There are about eight kids out there every single night running and playing together and having a blast! It's a little 1950's-esque and it's amazing... except-- I have had to let go of some of my American sensibilities. None of the parents sit outside with the kids, they just let them out and they're expected home at some point. So I've had to give up a little control and just let her out and trust she'll be okay and make good choices. The compound is gated so they're not going anywhere and they all sort of look out for each other when cars pull in, but still- not standing out there watching every little thing is both refreshing and terrifying! I know it's a cultural thing because none of these kids are American. They're Bahraini or Indian and I know things are so different in their cultures so I'm letting go and giving her space and she seems to be thriving! Meanwhile, I poke my head out and peek out the window fairly regularly to make sure she's all good and not climbing on cars...Because that's a favorite pastime for these kids... car climbing. And there's a jaguar and Range Rover in our courtyard so yeah, no car climbing for Stella! 

I'm also learning that Bahraini and Indian accents on little kids who shout "Stella!" Over and over again is the cutest thing ever! And the first night we were out there, they were playing tag and one of the older kids was being chased by Stella and he kept yelling "holy shit Stella! You're so fast! Holy shit!" I was rolling laughing... and yes, we've had the talk about other kids using grown up words that she shouldn't use... again, this whole cultural difference thing! It's all been a huge and wonderful learning experience, that's for sure!