My Darling Daughter, Choose YOU

“I’m not going to be friends with Benjamin anymore. He’s mean,” my five-year-old daughter piped up from the back seat on our way home from playing at the park after soccer.

“Oh, really?” I waited, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror and hoping to hear a little more.

“Yeah. He pushed me down the slide, Momma. He peeled back my fingers to make me fall. Like THIS.”

Then she held her little fingers up to demonstrate before she continued on, “And he told his mom he DIDN’T do it. But he DID! On purpose!”

“I’m so sorry that happened, honey. You certainly don’t have to put up with that.” I replied. “Do you want me to talk to his mom about it?”

I knew it wasn’t a one-time occurrence with this particular child.

“No. I just don’t want to play with him anymore. I don’t want to play with someone who is mean,” she answered decidedly.

“I’m proud of you, honey. I’m so proud you’re choosing yourself.”

My heart swelled.

She didn’t wonder why he was being mean.

She didn’t ask why he doesn’t seem to like her.

She didn’t think of all the ways she could change his mind (or change herself in order to change his mind.)

She just chose HERSELF and walked away.

I’m going to support her decision, even though his mom is a friend of mine.

And I really AM so proud.

Life will have all kinds of bullies. My daughter will face her fair share of unfair treatment and some more push-her-down moments.

I want her to know I will ALWAYS be on her side.

And, more than anything, I hope my daughter will ALWAYS choose herself.