growing up

So, my little guy seems to be growing up and maturing. I was taking him to see Harry Potter the other night, and I asked him how I thought we could make Molly feel better about not coming. He agreed that we should promise her a movie too. Then he said, "when Molly cries like that when you leave, it's really hard on Dad."
He is also learning how to manage his own feelings. Noah is very sensitive to sound and light. A busy, noisy space like a school assembly or a gym full of kids (or sometimes a classroom) is overwhelming for him. When I went to pick him up from mini-U (day camp) today, he was sitting apart from his group reading a book. They had just returned from a day of activities (rock climbing, dodge ball, swimming, etc.) , and they were gathering in the Max Bell center with all the other campers. He was tired; it was loud and hot and bright. He was feeling overwhelmed, and pulled out his book, so he could escape all of that. I sat there with him while he read for 10 minutes. He didn't want to talk to me or to anyone. When he was feeling OK again, he read me a funny part from his book and was happy and social again. This was sooooo much nicer than a huge melt down on the way home.