I got schooled.

The nursery in our church is one of Emma's favorite places to be. As she is not a daycare kid, it is a great chance for her to hang out in a larger group of kids her age (18 months to 3 years) and learn social skills and, of course, play!

Yesterday, the nursery leader didn't have her usual helper so I stayed behind to help out. Ben also likes it there because it is a very active space and he has a great time watching the 'big kids', plus they all love him and shower him with tickles and affection. I tried to stay out of the way and let the kids do their thing, stepping in from time to time to redirect the attention of a munchkin who was not behaving how he/she 'should'. I especially tried to stay out of Emma's eyeline as I think it is important for her to socialize without her looking to me for constant guidance. At one point, for no reason that I could see, one of the little boys walked up to Emma and just gave her a shove to the ground and then stood there to see her reaction. My first instinct was to toss the kid across the room up against the wall all pro wrestler like, but I sat there for a moment to see what she would do, too. She had that look on her face of, "I'm not sure why that just happened - I just may cry - I am really sad, oh goodness, what do I do? My feelings are really hurt." I finally got up and went over to her and the little boy and I asked him, "Hey, now, why'd you push Emma down? That wasn't nice. You made her very sad." He didn't really have an answer for a few seconds, but then said to her, "I sorry, Emma. I sorry you sad." He looked sincere and I encouraged Emma to accept the apology, hop up and go back to playing, which she did.

It's not like he is a mean kid, thankfully there isn't really a "bully" amongst the group, I think he was just experimenting with the "what happens if I do this" thing. Emma does it at home with Ben. A LOT!

I guess my point is, I know I am not always going to be there when the bully comes around and I know that Emma needs to be able to develop the skills to deal with these situations. I cannot and should not swoop in every time a kid looks at her the wrong way - even when I do want to toss them up against a wall... and I think it was more of a lesson for me than her yesterday.