Reunion

On a day where families hold their reunion dinners, Noey had a reunion of his very own too, with his ex-kindy friends.

Realising that virtually all schools would have a half day today, I arranged with a couple of mums to bring our ex-K2-now-P1 kids out for lunch. It didn’t occur to me when the date was set that it would be a reunion lunch for the kids, but that’s what it was indeed.

Noey has adjusted so well to Primary school that I initially hadn’t realised that he might be missing his friends. And I didn’t think much about it until one day when, quite by chance, we bumped into one of his ex-classmates while driving into a carpark. His friend R was on his way out. When we crossed each other, we mums wound down the windows for the boys and Noey’s face when he saw his friend, it just lit up in a way I hadn’t seen for weeks. It still makes me a bit teary to think about it.

Even more amazingly, we managed to meet another friend of his in the carpark on the same day. It felt a little awkward when E and Noey started talking to each other after nearly two months of not seeing each other daily, but within minutes they were talking away like, well, the old friends that they are. I watched my son come to life as the boys talked and played with each other in that small space and I knew I had to make the effort to let him meet up with his old friends. Bonds that have been built up over the past 3 to 4 years are too precious to let slip away. So we had a spontaneous playdate with E one afternoon a couple of weeks back which we all enjoyed greatly. That made me all the more determined to try to bring the boys together today. It helps that I still see these mums very often at kindy where we drop and pick our #2s. We easily arranged today’s lunch and I waited with baited breath to see if the boys would still take to each other.

I needn’t have worried really. Wasn’t I just saying that these were long-standing bonds? The boys just picked up where they left off. It felt almost as if they were still classmates just on an ordinary meet-up after school for lunch. They had such a good time that we adjourned to West Coast Park after lunch just so that they could run around to their heart’s content.

It was comfortable, easy, relaxed, and fun. Exactly how a reunion should be.

As we celebrate Chinese New Year today, here’s wishing you a meaningful time as you reconnect with friends and relatives. I sometimes view the whole affair of having to visit a bit of a chore, but after today, I’m thinking I should view it this opportunity with a fresh attitude. I will try to enjoy the day and make the reunion count. I hope you will too.

Have a blessed lunar new year one and all!

A blessed lunar new year to one and all!