Now that Lily is in full-time school, I worry almost daily about how she is doing, how she is being treated, how she is handling things that upset or bother her, who is upsetting or bothering her, and so on.

I've seen signs before that she is probably not going to be one to let anyone else push her around (which I admit I completely didn't expect). Yesterday, I was reminded again. We were waiting to pick Lukasz up from school and another girl who has younger siblings in the same school came up to Lily and asked her if she wanted to walk around the school with her. (They used to do this quite frequently together while waiting.) Lily said, "No". I then asked her quietly if she wanted to finish her snack later and walk with the other girl. She said "No". After the girl (looking a bit bewildered) went back to sit with her dad, I asked Lily why she didn't want to go, and she said that the last time they went together the other girl was poking her and wouldn't stop and poked her into a wall and wouldn't stop even when Lily told her she didn't like it.

I have to admit, I am proud of her, and relieved that she has this natural reaction to stay away from people who aren't treating her the way she wants to be treated. I have seen in the past that some kids just won't take a hint when she tells them she doesn't like how they are treating her. I'm so relieved she isn't a pushover!

I think I will suggest to her, though, that she could maybe mention to the girl again that she didn't like being poked, and maybe the girl won't do it anymore. I know Lily went through a situation at school recently where a girl she is friends with started bossing her around to the extent that she wouldn't "let" Lily play with any other kids. After weeks of this, and of Lily telling the girl repeatedly that she doesn't like to be bossed around, things seemed to have calmed down. Lily may still get bossed a bit, but she and the girl both know that Lily can and will go play with other kids if the girl won't stop bossing her.

Whew. I didn't realize Kindergarten was going to be so complicated!