At our weekly ballet class, there is a mixture of older girls (nearing age 3) and
the little girls (youngest 18 months). We only moved up a group about two months ago so it's all very different and Bubba isn't interested in her
peers but loves to run after the bigger girls and try and touch them. In
turn these bigger girls (there are about five) look at her as if she is
a little freak and back away. She still chases them thinking it's all a big game and smiling all the while.
Except this week
one of them didn't turn away and run off, well she did but turned back then decided to hug (in the
loosest sense) bubba. Her mum was busy texting or chatting or could have
been both as she is never watching her child. This girl was a little
rough which is understandable at 3 but then she shoved bubba, quite hard, making her stumble backwards a bit. I didn't
know what to do, my instinct was to jump up and go and get my baby but I
didn't, I sat because I figured that I can't always wade in and she has
to make her own way in the world of toddlers.
I
can't now get out of my head the look of astonishment and confusion on
bubs face. She came over to me a bit teary and wanted a cuddle but how
do you explain to a little girl who just wants to be involved that she
won't always get a favourable response. She'll have plenty more of these
encounters as she gets older and I want her to fight her own battles
but a bit of me feels sad that she'll have to.