Making a child welcome

should come without hesitation.

I certainly hope I did not hesitate yesterday. The other children in the street had been tearing up and down on their various wheeled modes of transport. The oldest of them had been keeping an eye on the traffic as had one of the parents clearing weeds from outside the front fence. 

I had not been out at all but the front door was open to let in some fresh air after the heat of the day before. A bit later things quietened down in the street and then I heard the sound of footsteps running down the path to the front door. It banged open and the house was suddenly invaded by the young army. They had not bothered to knock. Welcome was simply assumed.

"We brought you our new friend," they told me, "His name is ... and his is other name is Jewish."

They pushed the "new friend" in front - a boy who looked about eight or nine. He turned out to be "almost nine" and he looked very nervously at me.

"I'll go away if you don't want me here," he told me softly.

My heart seemed to stop for a moment and then I said, "But I do want you here. If you are friends with the rest of the gang then you must be my friend too."

Relief seemed to go through him like a large wave. We smiled at each other. It was the end of the conversation because the others had things to tell me and I was trying to listen to at least three of them telling me things at the same time.

A few minutes later they had all gone again. They were back on the street playing some game, including the newcomer. 

I thought it meant nothing to them but T.... came back about ten minutes later and sat watching me as I was sorting things on the table. I wondered if he wanted to ask me something but it is better not to ask sometimes. 

As it was he talked about something else and then got up to leave. At the door he looked back and said, "I knew you'd be all right about him." 

I took that as a huge compliment.