Pump It Up

One of Connor's friends from school, Hayden, had a birthday party today at Pump It Up. It was fun seeing all the kids literally bouncing off the walls. Riley was enthralled with watching the kids run around as well. Connor spent quite a bit of time trying to attach a velcro strap on a slippery slope. He was very determined and persistent. Within minutes of arriving, he buddied up with another friend of his from school, JP.
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One of the main reasons Connor doesn't get all his checkmarks at school is because his teachers say he plays rough, and inevitably it's always with JP. His teachers at school finally decided to not let the two boys play together at all. Because of this, I was very curious to see how they interacted at the party. I was shocked at how well they played together. Based on things his teachers have said, I had a preconceived notion that JP was a devil child that was corrupting my sweet, innocent Connor. While watching them, I noticed JP's mom standing nearby. We started discussing our boys, and she said when JP started getting notes like Connor had been getting, she didn't believe he would really act out that way, so she dropped in at school early one day and watched them playing outside together. She said they did absolutely nothing that would have alarmed her. They were just boys being boys. In fact, they play together like Connor plays with Daddy. Watching them play together at the party today, I would agree. They were like two peas in a pod. JP is a great kid that seems to have a lot of the same interests as Connor. I can honestly say now that I wouldn't mind them having play dates together. On our way home from the party, Connor informed me that he had changed his mind and no longer wanted a superhero party. He now wants a Pump It Up party. I had to break the news that it's too late in the game to change the game plan. He said, "Okay, next year then."