Social Growth

“There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met yet” William Butler Yeats

Three years ago, my husband and I, together with our 10 month old son, moved from Winnipeg to the small and beautiful french town of St. Pierre-Jolys. This was an exciting step for us. We'd both grown up in small town Manitoba and had lived for nearly 10 years in the "big city". We were eagerly anticipating a quiet and wholesome life in a small community once again. Funny thing was that we found we had been "cityfied" more than we'd realized. Now, I don't mean any offense to my wonderful friends currently living in the city and love their home and believe me, we really enjoyed our time in Winnipeg. But, being a country bumpkin myself, living in the city can be a bit to get used to, particularly if you don't really know anyone going in. I'd get on the bus every day and pay no heed to the person next to me and find myself running errands assuming I wouldn't recognize anyone around me. I'd sort of move through the day "out of focus" and, once in our new home, I found myself having difficulty bringing my attention back on the people around me.

Then I read the quote above and the profound simplicity of it struck a chord within me. There are so many possible friendships that are waiting to be made and I've already met so many lovely people in our town. So what's stopping us from turning those into meaningful friendships? I've come to the realization that there are some social habits that must be changed in order for us to grow and flourish in our new home. So I've made a concentrated effort to befriend our neighbors and meet more people in our community.

This same mentality I'd sincerely like to carry into each and every one of my classes. There's always room for another friend in every person's life. It gives us a true sense of belonging and personal growth that's so integral for our social and emotional health. Particularly with mothers of young children. As a mother of a 3 year old and 6 month old, I know how lonely it can get. Most parents who participate in Kindermusik classes find that the social interaction they get from weekly classes is one of the top reasons they love the program.

So, I challenge you to make a new friend today. Maybe it's that lady a few houses down that has that beautiful flower garden you've been admiring from afar or a new family that's moved in nearby. You never know how that friendship could change your life.

Written by a once painfully shy little girl who frequently hid behind her mother's skirt when meeting someone new.