Cheese pups

I'm so used to kids being mean to each other, that I'm stunned when they're nice. If Roxanne gets in another kid's way, she might get pushed over. If she has a toy another kid wants, he or she might steal it. And vice versa. At the preschool age, they want what they want, and they're figuring it all out.

Last week at a local playground, Roxanne saw a couple of boys (who looked about 7 years old or so) sharing a bag of cheese puffs. She sidled right up to them and reached for the bag. Not knowing her, they pulled the bag away, got up and walked away. Roxanne is usually pretty mellow, but on this day, she was really upset. She turned toward me with her saddest face, started to wail, and ran to my lap. The boys, who were nearby, shared a look that seemed to say, "Geez, dude, we made her cry! But they're our cheese puffs!" I don't know if they got a stern look from their mom, but a few seconds later, they came over and offered Roxanne some cheese puffs to calm her tears. I thanked them and took a couple, but she still looked so sad, they insisted we take a few more.

One of my mom friends was nearly in tears herself after watching the cheese puff drama. All the way home, Roxanne talked about how the boys gave her cheese "pups." They were very sweet, but oh, please, I hope she didn't learn to turn on the tears to get what she wants.