Making Friends, or Not

For those of you that know Sydney, you can attest to the fact that she is a friendly little girl. She will walk up to total strangers, both adults and children, and greet them. Luckily, so far she has done this with us close by and in safe surroundings.

We visit our neighborhood playground every now and then, which serves probably hundreds of kids in the area. So you rarely see the same kids there each time. About a month ago, Sydney tried playing with an older girl (6 or 7) and her little brother (4 or 5). I watched from a small distance as she pursued them on the play structure and they ignored her. I listened carefully as they plotted to keep her away from them or beat her to the area they were going. And I gathered her over to me and tried to explain that not all kids are nice, and if they're not, you shouldn't want to play with them. What I really wanted to do was chew out those other kids for being mean.

Yesterday we found ourselves again at the playground. Sydney immediately saw an open swing next to a little girl that was her age. She was there with her dad and two older brothers. Sydney, of course, wanted to swing next to the girl, which she did. Until the dad stopped pushing so that he could play catch with his sons. The little girl got off to play on her own, and Sydney, of course, wanted to follow. The girl didn't say a word, but avoided Sydney like the plague. I again tried to explain that not everyone wants to play with her and to stop chasing the other girl. Sydney came over to me and said, "I just wanted to make friends." So heartbreaking. We got home and I told her that she should keep trying, and one of these days she'll find another kid who'll be glad to be her friend.