My son feels like he has no friends.

anthonymax

Does anyone have any advice for me?My son is ten,a usually happy and outgoing child who is at times a little over-sensitive.Yesterday I went upstairs to find him crying in his room.He told me he feels like he has no friends.He says all the boys in his class are starting to leave him out of everything,and at playtime most days he sits on a step on his own outside.To hear him say this breaks my heart.He is not being bullied as far as I know,just not being included in anything.What can I do to help him?

PCPhoto

Do the other kids see each other outside of school - ie. sports clubs, extra curricular activities.... this could be one of the reasons why they are closer to each other.

is your son interested/involved in stuff outside of school - computers, sports, gaming, TV shows etc - stuff like this could give him common ground to talk to some of the other kids.....or maybe he has too much interest in one area (ie. dinosaurs, pokemon, etc etc)

would you consider your son to be a "nerd" ? is he being excluded from other kids playing because he appears to be anti-social (lacking in social interaction and appears wierd to other kids) .... your son could also take the initiative and ask someone else if they want to play.

CRenegade

Does he have any cousins or neighbours close by of the same age? maybe if you could organise them meeting up to help him develop friends and social skills if he is lacking in them a bit.

cynder

anthonymax wrote: »

.He is not being bullied as far as I know,just not being included in anything.What can I do to help him?

Just to put you straight on this EXCLUSION IS BULLYING, talk to his teacher. Let her know that he is not happy, see if hte teacher can offer any advice. if the playground assistants (teachers whoever they may be) see him on his own sitting on the step should try and encourage the boys to play with him and include him in the game of football or tig whatever it may be. If they don't know about it they cant help.


Go talk to his teacher.

If teacher wont acknowledge or do anything, bring it to the attention of the principle, but you need to talk to the teacher first.

Carroller16

Why not see would he like to join a local Scout Group.

anthonymax

Thanks everyone.I should explain he is a perfectly normal kid except he can be a little sensitive.He plays on the soccer team(even though he is not great and he knows this himself,the other boys tease him sometimes about it but it never upset him),and he really enjoys it.He does a drama club on Saturdays too.He is not shy at all.
I did consider going to his teacher,but what's to tell?I'm afraid I'll come across as an overprotective mother,and my husband thinks he'll be fine,he's just having a bad day,we all went through it,etc.
I maybe should give it some time,see what happens today.Have any of you had this experience with your own kids?

cynder

Not with my own kids (yet)

but i went through it as a kid. I never told my parents and never cried at home.


He is upset, to cry at home he must feel so alone(I'm tearing up as i type this) to confide in you, he is telling you he needs your help, he needs your love and he needs your support.

Ring the school and make an appointment to see his teacher, tell the teacher your concerns, the teacher isn't your judge, tell the teacher that your son cried his heart out at home and tell the teacher what he told you, ask the teacher if there is anything they can do to help.

It must have been a very bad day for your son to come home go to his room and cry his heart out. As i said before if the school doesn't know they cant help. Bullying takes on so many different shapes and forms, exclusion is one of them, the obvious ones are name calling and violence. Nip this in the butt before it gets worse. Your son is paying the price for your delay on acting. Please, please speak with the school asap.

If he gets this treatment day in day out till 6th class he is could end up to be one depressed child with poor self esteem and poor self confidence.

astra2000

Hi op Yes I have gone through similar experiences with my kids and its very hard toknow what the right thing to do is. Is your son been told he is not allowed to play or is he not been asked to join in? In my opinion there is a difference, if he is been told by other kids he is not allowed to play then that is bullying but I am not so sure that if he is waiting to be asked to join in that he is been bullied. Many kids are only concerned with themselves and dont even register that someone is been left out.I would speak to the teacher it is not been over protective at all.Encourage your son to join in games with out waiting to be asked, I found that sometimes some thing as simple as been the one who brings a football/basketball or other toy of interest can help the situation. Good luck

anthonymax

God thanks Grindelwald.
I am going to see what today brings when I collect him from school.I am sitting at home all morning just thinking about how upset he was yesterday (I'm a natural worrier at the best of times!).
What really got me was when he said he hates his life.Now I think some of that was for dramatic effect to be honest,but what if it's not?I know myself what it's like to be "bullied",in my case it was secondary school and it was physical bullying,and in a way this seems worse,I always had good friends so I never felt alone.He feels alone.
Thanks for the support.I will see how today went when I collect him anyway.

anthonymax

Thanks astra 2000,he is just not being asked.He says he does join in of his own free will (football) but noneof the kids will pass to him,and if he tries to get the ball,the others push him over and if he falls they yell "Diver" at him.I see the rough and tumble of boys playing football and he's well able to handle it,but I don't blame him for not wanting to play if this happens all the time (and if he's not exaggerating!).
His main issue I think myself,is that when he is sitting alone,none of the boys he considers his friends will approach him.No one stands up for him if he is called a name,no one wants to sit with him on the bus to swimming.
That's what's bringing tears to my eyes right now!

smelltheglove

Anothony teachers will be well used to pairing kids up to ensure nobody is left out. I remember when my daughter started a new school mid year the teacher paired her up with kids to try get her included, she was then paired up with a new child who started a month later and they are now the best of friends and the cool kids in class. He may just be finding it hard getting close to single people from a group but if you speak to his teacher he/she may be able to push him towards another kid who may have the same social dificulties, all he needs is to be comfortable enough to come out of his shell.

It's horrible to hear your child is alone at break time, I cried my eyes out when my little one told me she spent break time alone one day.

Is there a local gaa club to you that you could enroll him in, I know GAA clubs are great with building team spirit and even into adulthood they have a fierce loyalty to each other. Try and arrange play dates also where he could bring a buddy home or even take him and a classmate out to the cinema or something cool to give him a little more 'street cred' among the boys.

astra2000

Hi op I really empathise with you on this, by the sound of it your son (just like my own son at that age) is just not as forceful as the other boys and unfortunatly this leaves him last in the pecking order,when it comes to passing the ball/ sitting beside someone on the bus the most forceful will always win. Try and get your son to realise it probably is nothing personal to him just other kids making sure their own needs are taking care of at any cost. Also even though it may seem to him that he is the only one been treated like this but that is probably not the case if he could see that there are other kids who have problems too then he may not feel so isolated.

There was a stage when my son was having issues with a classmate and it was really affecting him,however a lot of what this boy said and did to my son he also did to others but it didnt seem to affect them I think different kids have different perceptions some can let things slide and then get picked on less others are more sensitive and this seems to fuel the problem. My sons self esteem was starting to be affected and he was at the point where he felt there was a problem with him, we reached a turning point when I sat him down and told him of incidents his older cousins and friends had gone through (it seems that a lot of kids have issues at some stage from my experience) when he realised that he wasnt the only one to have friend problems and that other kids he would consider "cool" had similar and indeed worse issues it seemed to help.

From then on he became that bit more aware and saw he wasnt the only one. If this continues speak with the teacher believe me they hear far far more trivial complaints than this and probably have to deal with this type of issue regularly.

anthonymax

smelltheglove,thanks for your reply.
I found the GAA club to be a complete waste of time.It was fine when he was aged 6,7,but it's too competitive now at his age,he is not good at football,simple as.So the managers won't even give him a game,it's not a fun league any more,they play to win now.So he found it too demoralising being left on the sideline all the time.The soccer is a bit better,they don't take it quite so seriously I find.He loves Gaa and soccer,all he talks about is Man United,he knows soccer inside and out,he loves computers and computer games,he's brilliant at swimming,he will try anything and go anywhere and has plenty of things to talk to the other lads about.To be honest I can't really understand where all this has come from.

Nevyn

anthonymax wrote: »

God thanks Grindelwald.
I am going to see what today brings when I collect him from school.I am sitting at home all morning just thinking about how upset he was yesterday (I'm a natural worrier at the best of times!).
What really got me was when he said he hates his life.Now I think some of that was for dramatic effect to be honest,but what if it's not?I know myself what it's like to be "bullied",in my case it was secondary school and it was physical bullying,and in a way this seems worse,I always had good friends so I never felt alone.He feels alone.
Thanks for the support.I will see how today went when I collect him anyway.

Been through that with both of mine, some kids pick up naturally on socail boundaries and how to makes friends for other's it takes a bit longer and a few things need to be pointed out to them.

anthonymax

Astra he can tend to be over sensitive.He has curly hair which needs a cut at the moment,and he said the boys were calling him curly-fry,so I offered to bring him for haircut there and then and he said no because then they will call me shavy-head.I mean that's something I think a ten year old who isn't so sensitive would have no problem laughing off,so in a way you are right,but how do I get him to not take things so seriously,and learn to differenciate between slagging and meanness,when his natural tendency is to get upset?
I will have a better chat with him tonight,was gettng too upset myself last night and had to get husband to take over,in case he saw me upset and made him worse!Thanks all of you for all the help,I'm very grateful.

wolfpawnat

grindelwald wrote: »

Just to put you straight on this EXCLUSION IS BULLYING,

Sorry to diagree on this one with you Grindelwald, but IMO if they were actively ignoring him it is bullying, if they are just not paying attention, as it appears by the OPs posts it doesnt seem to be bullying. Not all children get along, and just because you are in a class with someone doesnt mean you HAVE to be friends with them. Even at a young age personality clashes occur.

I myself was completely indifferent to the people in my class. I never hung arond with them in school. I only really had out of school friends and as for lunch time I would go for a walk around or I would just relax with a book. That said the OPs son wants to be included (I didnt)

OP talk to the teacher, see if she/he has noticed the children actively ignoring him out of cruelty! If not, your son needs to be the one to pipe up and ask to join in. If they are not doing it intentionally then they should have no problem

And as for the kids making comments on his football skills, they're just jealous

Nevyn

Exclision can be bullying, while not all kids get along it there are a group of kids actively excluding a child and incouraging others to do so, then it is a bullying tatic.

cynder

anthonymax wrote: »

.He has curly hair which needs a cut at the moment,and he said the boys were calling him curly-fry,so I offered to bring him for haircut there and then and he said no because then they will call me shavy-head.I mean that's something I think a ten year old who isn't so sensitive would have no problem laughing off,.

When said day in and day out it can hurt, it seems as if he feels that no matter what he does it wont gain him approval, He will never be good enough, his going to be called names regardless. I dont think that is oversensitve, teachers are well aware of slagging, but when slagging hurts someones feelings then its gone overboard.

If the teacher hears you son being called curly fry and is aware that your child doesnt like being called curly fry the teacher will then correct the child (thats name calling)and say his name is not curly fry its **(insert name)** now dont let me hear you say it again.

How did he get on today?

cynder

anthonymax wrote: »

.He says he does join in of his own free will (football) but noneof the kids will pass to him,and if he tries to get the ball,the others push him over and if he falls they yell "Diver" at him.I see the rough and tumble of boys playing football and he's well able to handle it,but I don't blame him for not wanting to play if this happens all the time (and if he's not exaggerating!).
His main issue I think myself,is that when he is sitting alone,none of the boys he considers his friends will approach him.No one stands up for him if he is called a name,no one wants to sit with him on the bus to swimming.
That's what's bringing tears to my eyes right now!

The poor pet, what ive put in bold above to me is bullying. Not so much kick you while your down but still its bullying. You wouldn't want to play football if you get bullied while playing it, it's a way and means of targeting him. He is sitting on the step to protect himself and not joining in for fear of being rejected, pushed and then called 'diver'(bullied). Theres no one to stand up for him its hard for him, really hard. To be left alone on the bus with no one sitting beside him is hard (if a teacher knew the situation they could buddy him up with someone). The kids mightn't realise how cruel they are being, a teacher might be able to help them realise and hopefully rectify the situation.


*Big hugs* to you, you need it.

Be strong for your lad he needs you. (I'm tearing up again, from what you wrote i feel your sons pain, i feel yours as well)


*HUGS*

anthonymax

Well he's home,and in slightly better form than yesterday.Mind you it's like getting blood from a stone,and usually he's quite good at telling all.He said he got on fine today,he says he feels better than yesterday,but I can still tell he's not completely happy.
I don't want to push it by asking a million questions,and drawing more attention to the whole situation.I am going to give it the rest of the week,which includes the bus trip to swimming on Thurs,and see how he gets on.I am so hoping that he was just having a bad day and maybe exaggerated things a little bit,because it was so out of the blue for him to be so upset,and I never had any inkling that anything was bothering him in this way.
I have taken all your kind comments on board and will definitely speak to the teacher if he is still unhappy by Friday.What harm can that do,none.
And grindelwald,thanks for the hugs!!! Badly needed!!!

cynder

anthonymax wrote: »

Well he's home,and in slightly better form than yesterday.Mind you it's like getting blood from a stone,and usually he's quite good at telling all.He said he got on fine today,he says he feels better than yesterday,but I can still tell he's not completely happy.
I don't want to push it by asking a million questions,and drawing more attention to the whole situation.I am going to give it the rest of the week,which includes the bus trip to swimming on Thurs,and see how he gets on.I am so hoping that he was just having a bad day and maybe exaggerated things a little bit,because it was so out of the blue for him to be so upset,and I never had any inkling that anything was bothering him in this way.
I have taken all your kind comments on board and will definitely speak to the teacher if he is still unhappy by Friday.What harm can that do,none.
And grindelwald,thanks for the hugs!!! Badly needed!!!

Glad his in a better mood. It's probably best nit to push him too much by asking too many questions. Just a word of caution because he doesn't come home in floods of tears doesn't mean the problem has gone away. Still 22 years on my parents don't know I was bullied at national school. I know a few other parents on boards do what I'm about to sugest to you

tell your boy that if he wants to tell you Anthing and finds he can't do it in person to write it down and leave it on your pillow before he goes to school.

Even if things do improve keep an eye on it as you said yourself it came out of the blue and was unexpected, which means it's been going on a while and you never sussed it. It reached breaking point, if you hadn't of caught him crying would he of told you? Once bitten twice shy. Best of luck, I really hope things work out for him.

Deliverance

'anthonymax', I'm not sure I can offer better advice than what has been given already in a direct way.

The only thing I can think of is to somehow not let your lads self esteem take a dive further. From what you have said he is sensitive but has a good level of self esteem at the moment which is being chipped at by the level of exclusion that is being experienced in the playground?

Maybe you need to tackle the sensitivity issue and channel your child into areas that he can achieve and grow confidently? I have a niece and a nephew who are 'complicated' in different ways. They have both benefited a lot from joining Tae Kwon Do / Kick boxing classes.

These classes are controlled and disciplined, there is no room for exclusion in these classes as they are... disciplined and under the 'control' of a teacher who teaches physical and mental discipline to the whole class as a 'team'.

If you enroll your young fella in such a class, I imagine that he may enjoy it as he will be taking part in a team type effort which I believe will benefit him a lot.

My niece has ADHD, and my nephew was bullied due to being to sensitive, they have improved a lot confidence wise after taking part in these classes. Worth a go I think.

Plus you mentioned the husband said 'he will be alright' as a throw away comment? Kick him into touch for a start and let him know that the lad will do better if his dad gets more involved. Possibly by him taking the lad to classes and showing him how proud he is of him via his potential achievments. Personally he should be more involved than simply saying 'Ah sure he will be alright'.

anthonymax

Thanks again Grindelwald,I will suggest that to him tomorrow.I'm just in from work and husband just told me that our son told him while I was gone that he was gathering chestnuts at school at playtime tday with two other boys!! First I heard of that today,just goes to show I suppose that maybe something I said to him yesterday sunk in,ie try something else at playtime if the football games don't go so well.
Deliverance,I don't think I portrayed poor husband too well in my earlier post,in fairness to him he's very supportive and I think his comments were more to make me feel a bit better (in his own misdirected way!),I think if he had agreed with all I said as I sobbed into his shoulder last night I would have fallen to pieces altogether!
The martial arts classes sound like a good idea,he's recently started a drama/singing/dancing class with his brother which he likes,it's in a "High School Musical" style with a big production type show at the end of it.Sounds like he will have his own role to play in it so I'm hoping that will be good for him.
I will be keeping a good eye on things anyhow,and do my best to be there for him I suppose.It's just so hard to see your kids unhappy for no good reason isn't it!!

wolfpawnat

grindelwald wrote: »

tell your boy that if he wants to tell you Anthing and finds he can't do it in person to write it down and leave it on your pillow before he goes to school.

While I was reading this part of your post I was ,unbeknownst to myself, nodding in agreement. It is perfect. Boys are not as open with their emotions and problems. New research says that those who have a sister tend to unload onto her, not to their brothers though. So writing a letter is a good technique if you have not a daughter or if they are not very close.

The only thing is, if my son didn't write everything down and only the worst points I would be freaking for the day! But then again if my son said he had your sons problems I may have had a heart attack panicing so do not take my rational seriously!

Deliverance wrote: »

Maybe you need to tackle the sensitivity issue and channel your child into areas that he can achieve and grow confidently? I have a niece and a nephew who are 'complicated' in different ways. They have both benefited a lot from joining Tae Kwon Do / Kick boxing classes.

These classes are controlled and disciplined, there is no room for exclusion in these classes as they are... disciplined and under the 'control' of a teacher who teaches physical and mental discipline to the whole class as a 'team'.

Again 100% in agreement. I know he is already in a music group AND in a soccer group, but self defence classes are something to be considered too!

Self esteem is a very fragile thing. Takes years to build up, but only seconds to destroy. Your son needs to realise boys will mock EVERYONE so whatever lenght his hair is, it will be under scrutiny, the trick is teaching them to not take a tap of notice when someone says something to him, either that or a witty comment back that slags himself. You would be surpirsed how often that stops others taking the "mick" out of a child! They prey on those whose feelings it hurts. Once they realise it doesnt affect them, they cease as the fun is no longer there. That said, if anyone finds out how to make their son able to slag them back without being a €ocky little fe€kerthemselves let me know!

Glad he was happier yesterday OP!

cynder

wolfpawnat wrote: »

While I was reading this part of your post I was ,unbeknownst to myself, nodding in agreement. It is perfect. Boys are not as open with their emotions and problems. New research says that those who have a sister tend to unload onto her, not to their brothers though. So writing a letter is a good technique if you have not a daughter or if they are not very close.

The only thing is, if my son didn't write everything down and only the worst points I would be freaking for the day! But then again if my son said he had your sons problems I may have had a heart attack panicing so do not take my rational seriously!



P!

I've said it to my daughter my boys cant write yet.

She only used it once and it was thankfully something small. Something happened to me as a child and someone touched me inappropriately, i was too embarrased to tell my parents and i didnt (it wasnt anything major but it made me feel akward). ( they did find out because i told a cousin, who told her mom, who tld my parents)


So i said to my lady that if she felt she couldnt tell me someting in person to write it down and leave it on my pillow. I've seen that method used by other parents on boards, some other parents/people questioned that method, but whatever works.

anthonymax

Oh Grindelwald you poor thing.That's really awful,my heart goes out to you.I would really hope that if anything serious happened that my kids could tell me,it's probably not easy for kids to spit things out sometimes,I think your note on pillow idea is a very very good one.
It's actually amazing how kids can keep so much to themselves,I know when I was at school and going through a hard time,I never told my parents,but oh boy the relief I felt when my mother eventually found out!Things always always seem better when Mammy puts her arms round you!

CrazyRabbit

I think the key here is to find out why he is being excluded.

Is it bullying through no fault of his own, or is it something he does/doesn't do that makes the other kids not like him?

If it's bullying, then the school must take action to prevent it, and you can help by focusing on boosting his self confidence.

Of course, the issue may in fact by with your son himself.
Some kids struggle with certain aspects of social interaction and they can unintentionally give other people a bad impression. I.E, a child might be too talkative, only talk about themselves/their own interests, frequently interrupt others, not maintain good hygiene etc.

I'd certainly advise contacting the teachers and asking that they monitor your son closely, specifically in how he does interact with others. And of course you can monitor this as well if he has friends over.
I'm not saying your son is at fault here, just that there may be things he can do to improve others opinion of him.

Deliverance

anthonymax wrote: »

I will be keeping a good eye on things anyhow,and do my best to be there for him I suppose.It's just so hard to see your kids unhappy for no good reason isn't it!!

It is hard, as a parent I never feel like my little one is doing well enough socially for some reason. As you said yourself. It is probably 'for no good reason' most of the time.

Your thread has made me think... am I projecting this concern onto my child to much? I think 90% of parents these days do this. point in fact is that the majority of kids will not talk about the school day with their parents. I am wondering why this occurs?

As a theory I imagine that we as 'over-concerned' parents are looking for the negative possibilities that could occur so as to deal with them sooner rather than later. It is a natural human trait to look for the negative stories, this is why tabloids and bad news is more prevalent in society, bad news sells papers.

This type of 'negative storage' is in turn, possibly picked up and learned by the kids from the parents. Maybe this is why the kids only come back with negative stories from school over the good stories? It does get a better reaction.

It is a theory but it is plausable I think? Bullying as an issue would need to be taken into the equation to be a part of the point though. It would need to be singled out as an issue to avoid tainting the idea / theory. Tis a tough task in a social sense. Hope this makes sense, it is a rough idea that is in my mind at the moment.

astra2000

Deliverance wrote: »

It is hard, as a parent I never feel like my little one is doing well enough socially for some reason. As you said yourself. It is probably 'for no good reason' most of the time.

Your thread has made me think... am I projecting this concern onto my child to much? I think 90% of parents these days do this. point in fact is that the majority of kids will not talk about the school day with their parents. I am wondering why this occurs?

As a theory I imagine that we as 'over-concerned' parents are looking for the negative possibilities that could occur so as to deal with them sooner rather than later. It is a natural human trait to look for the negative stories, this is why tabloids and bad news is more prevalent in society, bad news sells papers.

This type of 'negative storage' is in turn, possibly picked up and learned by the kids from the parents. Maybe this is why the kids only come back with negative stories from school over the good stories? It does get a better reaction.

It is a theory but it is plausable I think? Bullying as an issue would need to be taken into the equation to be a part of the point though. It would need to be singled out as an issue to avoid tainting the idea / theory. Tis a tough task in a social sense. Hope this makes sense, it is a rough idea that is in my mind at the moment.

I think you are right there deliverance I often feel like I am too concerned in fact my son who is now 13 said to me a few weeks ago you care too much! I have learned (from my own kids) that they can be very good at telling things out of context "no one would play with me today" has turned out to be I wouldnt play with anyone because I didnt like their game but it has also been a case where they have been left out. I now feel like I could work for mI5 as I have became so good at asking the questions that eventually lead me to a clearer picture but this has taken 3 kids!
oP I really hope this problem has sorted it self out.

fergalr

I'm not a parent, and I don't tend to post on the parenting forum; but I say this linked from the front page. And I'm qualified to post on this only because I used to be a kid, once.

anthonymax wrote: »

He told me he feels like he has no friends.He says all the boys in his class are starting to leave him out of everything,and at playtime most days he sits on a step on his own outside.

anthonymax wrote: »

I'm afraid I'll come across as an overprotective mother,and my husband thinks he'll be fine,he's just having a bad day,we all went through it,etc.

anthonymax wrote: »

He says he does join in of his own free will (football) but noneof the kids will pass to him,

If this sort of stuff is ongoing over any substantial length of time, then your kid is definitely being bullied - at least as far as I understand the term.

The other kids sound like they are being little sh*ts, as kids are sometimes, unfortunately.


Don't listen to CrazyRabbit's post; from what I've seen growing up, its probably not your kids fault. Young kids just aren't very accepting of any deviation from the norm; and rarely form groups where someone isn't bottom of the pecking order.
Your kid probably needs all the love and support you can give him, and - from my personal perspective - its important for parents to very much give their kids the benefit of the doubt in situations like this.

I notice that other posters have said it, but even before they did, it was going through my head that doing some martial arts classes might help. In an ideal world, they shouldn't and they shouldn't be necessary, but sometimes, particularly for guys, for whatever reason, they build some confidence that goes a long way. I remember it being very good for me when I was at national school.
Hope things go well.

anthonymax

You have all certainly given me a lot to think about!

I agree with Deliverance and Astra to a good extent,I am a natural born worrier if ever there was one,my husband often says I'm not happy unless I have something to worry about! I am always on the look out for things going wrong,especially with the kids,which is why the other day knocked me for six. I definitely try not to project this onto him,but actually this just reminded me of an informal conversation I had once with a psychologist acquaintance,she told me first born children often have a tendency to worry more. I am a first born,as is my ten year old. Interesting!!

Crazyrabbit,to me he seems perfectly normal in every way,even socially,he does as I have said be over sensitive,things don't wash over him always,and he does get teased for not being good at football. I can't even blame the other kids for not passing to him,it's a game and they want to win of course. It's just the awful feeling that washes over me when I think of him sat on his own at school. Maybe it's simply that they are picking up on his sensitivity really.

Fergalr I will def look into the classes. He has never mentioned being interested in one,I will broach the subject with him. I am overwhelmed by everyone's support here to be honest,I'm new to these boards,it's great to be able to hear all opinions because I really needed some advice.

And he was in good enough form after school today and has his friend coming over on Fri after school. And I think McDonald's could be in order for Saturday!!