Turn a friend

Reese stepped into her mom’s bedroom where she was folding clothes. Ashley followed close behind with one finger in her mouth. Reese flopped down on her mom and dad’s bed.

Rolling over she said, “Ashley and I were playing with Freida under our tree. Stinky Christopher started making fun of me playing with a doll. He grabbed Frieda, I punched him. Then he started running so I tripped him and got Freida back. I punch boys lots of times, they usually laugh or punch me back. Christopher looked sad and walked away after I got Freida back.

Her momma sat on the bed by her.

“I think Christopher wasn’t being mean, he just wanted to play with you.”

“No! He was being mean. He made fun of her and took her doll!” Ashley leaned on the bed, timid no longer.

With a loving hand on her shoulder, Reese’s mom looked at Ashley then Reese.

“When I was little there was a little boy that would pull my hair, knock my books out of my hands and sometimes chase me home.”

Both girls were staring wide eyed.

“My mother was concerned at first so she watched for him. She noticed he would walk past my house, always stopping to stare and look at the door. One day she was working in the garden out front when she saw him knock the books out of my hands. I ran inside crying because I was mad. She stopped him to talk, she was kind even though she was a little angry.”

‘I notice you like to be ornery to my daughter. Is there a reason?’

The boy kicked at a rock then slowly looked up.

‘I don’t want to be mean to her. I just want to play. I like her.’

‘Do you treat boys this way when you want to play with them?’

‘Well, not really, I know all the boys. We just play.’

He continued to kick a rock.

‘Well, since I was a girl I can tell you, that’s not the way to get a girl to play with you.

Why don’t you ask her to play? Say something nice instead of doing things that hurt her feelings?’

‘I guess I can try that.’

He grinned at her then ran home.

When she told me about talking to him I argued with her. But she was right. That boy turned out to be a great friend.