Another birthday

My son decided to have his 15th birthday a week earlier since his actual birthday comes in the middle of the exams. This was special for him as it was the first time he is celebrating his birthday in India with friends, every other time it was with relatives. After joining this school in the middle of the school year in last October he made some good friends. I saw him started enjoying the friendship a lot.
I was just comparing the birthdays he used to have in the US and the one he just had here.

We never let our son keep more than one game console at a time. It was funny when I heard him telling his friends how he had to sell his game cube to buy DS and then selling it to buy Wii and then selling the Wii to get a play station 3 sleek:):)
Back in the US, for every get together there was a certain pattern. Video Games ruled the parties. Since there are restrictions on game time he would come and ask me as soon as all friends are gathered in the basement-‘My friends want to play games, could we?’ A couple of kids would be sitting in front of the TV, with controllers; some kids at some corners with their small play station or DS. I haven’t seen a kid getting bored with games and wanted to do something else. I always had to forcibly stop the games and chase them out for some fresh air. Then they would come back within half an hour (if I am lucky) and again goes straight back to games. Whatever communication they had was always about the new games going to be out in the markets or the games they intend to buy etc. Two times when he went for sleep over’s, I made the mistake of letting him play till the other kids goes to sleep. I never thought it would mean till 5 am or 4am!! The following day my son would be very cranky and restless. So when he used to have sleepover at our home, I don’t usually let him play after 10pm. But they would beg and beg and gets an hour more, making 11 pm their sleeping time:>(

But once in a while I get lucky enough to see the kids playing wrestling or some other games. When they were smaller they liked being outdoors more.

Here I saw a group totally different. After some games (of course) they wanted to play foot ball. So they went to the nearby ground and played football the rest of the time. It was a change seeing the kids wanting to play outside! After the game all of them took bath and changed their clothes. Which again took me back to those memories when I used to almost cry seeing the kids coming inside home after one of their short visits outdoors, with their shoes on and walking through the light color carpet leaving a trail of dirt on it... But when they see me they would say-‘ops sorry ---‘s mom’ and would remove their shoes:)

I am just happy to see him sitting relaxed among this group of kids. I didn’t think it would be this easy adjusting to the life here for him. Thank God, things turned out to be just fine for the time being:)at least, I guess!