Things That Make Me Happy, the "My Daugher is Happy" Version

Near the top of all parents' wish lists is that their kids find good friends. Perhaps even more than the parents themselves, a child's peer group holds incredible powers of influence over that child. It may very well be that the most important thing a parent can do to raise a kid right is to make sure they find good friends and to help them be good friends to others.

So I could not contain my happiness watching Jada at her first ever birthday party with school friends. These six girls happily did crafts, cracked jokes, and raced around our house. Jada was so happy you could practically see her tail wagging. Best of all, these girls all seem so sweet and nice, and they genuinely enjoyed each other and being with Jada.

Sure enough, the very next day, Amy took Jada to the doctors' in the morning. Jada was miserable, and not just because the pediatrician's office isn't the funnest place. No, she missed her circle of friends. And, when Amy returned her to school, they made eye contact with Jada, called out her name loudly, and raced over to her to dispense hugs and catch her up on everything that had happened that morning while she was out.

Amy, in the meantime, took it all in, grinning ear to ear. I think the happiest a parent can be is when they see their child happy. Especially when that happiness springs from having good friends.