Who knew that watching a 6 year old boy simply swinging on the swings at recess could be so heartwarming and exciting?  It is when that same boy’s anxiety prevented him from playing at recess for the whole year.  Only in the last month of school did he even start to sit on the swing.  The rest of the year he would wander around the play yard, near the doorway, keeping track of the time so he would know when recess ended.  He worries.  He worries that he’ll be bumped.  He worries that he’ll get hurt and have to see the nurse, or worse, a doctor.  He worries that another child will do something to him that he doesn’t like.  He worries that he will be expected to speak.  But today, he had the most contented look on his face while swinging.  He didn’t look worried at all.  As I watched, a group of 7 noisy girls make a move toward the swing and I thought, “Here we go.  Once they come over, his solitude will be shattered and the worry will come back”.  But, no.  He stopped, looked at them, kicked his legs, smiled and began swinging again.

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