Today I let Rachael play in the play area at the mall. They have those oversize slightly soft fiberglass toys to play on. (No pics, I didn't have the camera). There was a little girl there who was probably five years old, and she singled out Rachael to follow around. Whether she was trying ineffectively to be Rachael's friend or just wanted to irritate her to death, it was difficult to watch. Every time Rachael would get her eye on something to play on, that little girl would beat her to it. Climb to the top, sit in the tunnel, whatever. Rachael complained a couple of times that "somebody else is playing on that toy right now." Because there was nothing I could do about the stalker, I encouraged her to play on something else. She managed to have a great time, rotating around on the different toys, and not being bothered by the whole incident.
It was a window to the years when I won't be able to protect her from some of the mean things kids can do. I was pleased to see she could still play and have fun, that she didn't dissolve into tears, and that she didn't run for mommy every time either. She's a great little girl!
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