Mean Girls

Lena had her first run in with "popular" kids today. I took her to the park to run out some of her wiggles ( I do this most days). Usually she runs ahead of me so she can have just that much more time on the slide. Today, however, she clung to my side and sat with me while we ate apples and chocolate milk (her new favorite). There were about 4 kids, 3 girls and 1 boy, already running around on the giant pirate ship that Lena usually flies to. She sat next to me, watching them, sometimes laughing at their antics, but mostly watching. Finally, she decided to join them. She ran up to the ship yelling, "hey, hey!" and some version of "I'm Lena." The girls (who were a little bit older) looked at her and immediately told her she couldn't play with them. Now, Lena's a tough kid and can stand up for herself so I don't like getting too involved with playground politics, but I have never wanted to smack a kid so badly. This little girl, lets call her Tiffany, had a smug, self important demeanor that will serve her well in high school so long as she stays skinny. Lena, for her part, didn't skip a beat. She played along side them for a while. They ignored her or shot her dirty looks. Finally, Tiffany told her to go away. Lena looked at her, stepped back a little, leaned forward, and ROARED! Tiffany, clearly confused by this reaction, walked off with her gaggle of blondes to play on the swings. Lena remained on the pirate ship and seemed happy to spin the wheel and go down the slide on her own. I couldn't have been prouder of her if she'd won a Nobel prize. I realize she will have many more run-ins with many different Tiffany's, and not all of them will go as well, but I hope she always feels confident enough to roar, no matter the Tiffany.