new girl

Friday afternoon I took Mary over to the local Catholic school for her first Brownie troop meeting. There were about a dozen little girls milling around wearing matching green and navy plaid jumpers. The scene was even a little intimidating to me, so I completely understood when she clung to my skirt like a bashful 3 year old. She then began to cry, begging me not to leave her alone, but I firmly told her, "All these little girls want to be your friend, you just have to let them," and walked out.

Cruel right?

I waited in the car for 5 minutes and snuck back up to the window to see if she was sniveling in the corner, but found she was snuggled on the sofa between 2 little brownies obviously finished with her shy act. When we came back a few hours later to pick her up she was having such a good time playing red light, green light that I practically had to pick her up and shove her in the car to get her to leave. The leader said she had a lovely time and the pink flamingo on her cheek that her new friend Margaret painted had to be carefully preserved from the bath water that evening. Next week's meeting is a trip to the pumpkin patch and corn maze and I think she will be eager to join her new friends without looking like an "unsocialized homeschooler."