Odd Man Out

What would I feel like if I spent ten hours of every weekday with two other people who spoke a different language than I do?

What if those two people seemed to have a special connection and words were truly not necessary to speak with each other?

What if they were two people of the opposite sex and I truly had very little in common with them?

Add to that, that they are half my age and there is a substantial generation gap between us.

I am not a leader. I am a follower.

How would I manage in that environment?

Would I try to copy, learn and speak this new language? Would I feel left out because I felt like a stranger in their world? Would I conform to their interests so that we found some common ground? Would I subconsciously act a lot younger than my age in a sincere desire simply to fit in? Would I simply follow their lead because I am a natural follower?

Chances are ... that is exactly what I would do.

If you are a natural born leader, certain behaviours seem to come as easily as breathing. If you are a follower by nature, you follow your natural path and adapt in the best way that you know how.

This ... is the world that my two-year-old boy walks into every day at daycare, with his two, one-year-old-girl playmates.

The girls are more than happy to play with this little guy who is twice their age. Possibly because he is so adaptable to their ways and easy to get along with.

Is it frustrating to watch a two-year-old who has the ability to speak coherent sentences, understand and learn at a completely different level ... speak baby talk and act out in whatever way he sees his younger counterparts do, whenever he plays with these younger girls? Yes. But I think I have a clearer vision of where this is coming from.

It is amazing what you see when you look at the world through the eyes of someone whose behaviour baffles you ...