Yes. You are coming out to dinner with us, I said to The Kid.

We were invited to have dinner with friends at their house. It was an impromptu invitation. Letting The Kid stay home was not an option - going out would not have been as fun without him - I like introducing him to our friends. The balance is that there are times we let him "sit this one out" and he stays home.

He wondered why he had to - after all, these people are strangers, he said.

But not once you meet them, I countered. So off we went to dinner at their house - enjoying awesome homemade chicken pot pie.

Turned out to not be too difficult a task after all. The Kid had seconds. He enjoyed the conversation, even though the rest of us were just a bunch of adults.

I like my son knowing who our friends are: We share little stores about what so-and-so is up to, keeping him updated in conversation that isn't always just about him or us, but others out in the world.

I don't think I intended it to be an example but, in turn, he also introduces us to his friends. He lets us know about things going on in their lives - generalities, important events, etc.

So, we get home from dinner, bellies full of pot pie and he says, he's glad he came with us. It's a simple thing, I know - nothing earth-shattering, but I'm glad he came too - our dinner out with friends was also family time.