Parallel Play

When we are born, we think the world is all about us. We cry...we are tended to. We act and the world reacts.
As we get older, we realize that the world has other people in it and that we occasionally have to adjust to their thoughts, actions, and feelings. Eventually, we learn how to "play" well with others, agreeing on a common plan, assigning roles to each person, and working together to make things happen. This is called "cooperative play." And grown-ups are supposed to be good at it.
But between those stages is a stage called "parallel play" where two kids are doing their own thing, but beside each other. And that's where my husband and I are this week. Oh, we started our marriage in the usual immature way...I cried and he tended to me...he acted and I reacted...but we soon found out that neither of us was the center of the world and adjusted accordingly. So now, while we are mostly "cooperative" we have learned to be happy with occasional "parallel play." He sits in my classroom and watches game film while I work on new learning centers. I sit beside him on the couch and read my book while he watches basketball. It's not earthshattering communication. But it is comfortable companionship. And he's my favorite playmate!