How to make friends on Make a Friend Day: Tips from Tim and Baby Ethan

A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose--and who better to share a smile with than a new friend? Today is “National Make a Friend Day” so here’s some advice from a budding friendship happening right here at H.O.M.E.!

Tim resides on Nathalie Salmon House’s shared living floor where he enjoys living in a community setting.  He moved in with a positive attitude despite not knowing whom he would meet at the house. He describes other residents on his floor as kind and helpful, but he never thought he could strike up a friendship with someone of another age group, let alone a baby!

Nathalie Salmon House offers affordable, independent senior living with a unique intergenerational living component.  

Intergenerational living is an innovative concept based on the idea that the blending of families, students, and older adults in social living activities builds a community that enhances our understanding of one another. H.O.M.E.'s intergenerational houses provide an environment for those who wish to connect and share with other generations on a daily basis—which is where Baby Ethan comes in.

In addition to seniors, residents ranging in age from 5 months to 50 live in H.O.M.E.'s affordable buildings. Tim daily interacts with senior residents as well as younger residents and staff: the resident assistants who live in the building and help seniors with daily tasks like laundry, the housing coordinator, maintenance personnel, security guards, cook, and the list goes on. Baby Ethan is one of Nathalie Salmon House’s newest editions, and easily its most adorable too.  

Ethan’s parents are both staff at H.O.M.E. and the young family lives in Tim's building. Tim would describe himself as reserved at times but when Ethan came into the house, Tim found himself with new purpose. Ethan is now pushing 5 months and everyone at Nathalie Salmon House knows about his connection with Tim, as the two share a special laughter that’s hard to miss!

Tim describes his friendship with Ethan as a caring interaction. Tim says, “the key is, he smiles at me, and I smile right back at him and make him laugh!” Tim also says spending time with Ethan reminds him of time he spent raising his younger siblings. He goes onto say that: “Ethan has great parents and is very sociable since he’s always around so many of us.” 

Although Ethan can’t talk yet, Tim says he feels recognized and enjoys Ethan’s company and believes he enjoys his as well. Their connection is truly one of a kind, and although they can’t verbally communicate yet, their friendship is affecting them both in a positive way--their laughter is a sign of that!  

So today, go out and smile—you’ll never know the impact of the happiness you can spread or even the friendship you could start through it!

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Shefy Alexander is a first-year student in the graduate Social Work program at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Her field placement is in H.O.M.E.’s shared living settings at Pat Crowley House and Nathalie Salmon House and she is relishing her interactions with the seniors living in those buildings. Read more about our interns here!