Very touching. It brought tears to my eyes. Not for my childhood memories and friends (which were the idyllic 60s/70s style), but for the childhood and friendship my boys are lucky to have.
The best thing that could have happened to us as parents is one thing we couldn’t have planned – the boy across the street became their best friend. He came over to watch a movie last night and is still here after a day of sledding and a snowball fight and some made up games in the basement. The three are now teenagers (13 – 15) and head out on bikes in the summer. Swim in the river with other friends. Built the goofiest go-kart out of PVC. When we go to Maine to visit friends, we take all three and they sleep in the loft in the barn. Yes, things have changed since we were young, but the magic of best friends is still alive.
Bonus is we have found that having a true best friend across the street has kept the social networking friends at a lower priority. No need for playdates or scheduling. Less drama. It’s the best thing that ever happened to us as parents.
