Kids

It's great that we live in such a family friendly neighborhood. My girls have ample grass to run in and pavement to ride and scoot around on. There's even some kids right in our little place. But here's the problem....

there's one kid I just DON'T LIKE.

Do I sound like a bad person? Their family is in our ward and I get along splendidly with the mom. It's the kid....even her little brother...that I don't like.

This one girl, we'll call her "A", will come over to invite my girls over to play outside while "A" is already playing with another friend. At first I really appreciated her outgoing attitude and willingness to include my girls. However, "A" would on purpose NOT include Blake after inviting her to come out to play.

"No this is just our worm box."
Saying to another child: "Do you want to come in my house, but just you."
"Come over and play Wii Princesses, it's a one player game so you can watch me."

Blake, upon being invited out to play, willingly turns her down. And has expressed to me that she doesn't like playing with "A" because she's not nice.

The younger brother, barely 3, has even scowled at Reese saying things like, "You're not nice." While Reese was just digging in the dirt completely by herself. Reese looked up at him totally perplexed.

Now you have to know that I NEVER let my kids play outside unsupervised. These kids are often outside all alone. No parent in sight. So it leaves me being a having to call out the kids on their behavior.

So do I? Call her "A" and her brother out on their behavior.

I was even grabbing the mail today while my big girls were running around for a minute and "A" was outside with another friend asking of my girls could come out and play. Blake decided to just do her own thing and practice running/jumping the sidewalks, and when she stopped for a moment I looked up to see the back of "A" with her hand on tilted hip, chin pointing towards Blake, hair tossing about. It looked like she was sticking her tongue out at Blake. So I called her out on it....saying "Hey, are we sticking our tongues out at our friends?" All children were stunned. Blake stood there with a mad look on her face. It ended out not being a tongue sticking out but sassy voiceless lips....same thing right!?

I'm trying to teach my girls to stand up for themselves and tell other kids how they feel when they are being bullied, left out, or not included. I can't be the one refereeing other kids' behavior. I'm only in charge of my own kids.

So, anyone else ever find themselves in the same situation? Any advice? Should I just keep letting my kids use me, their tired and pregnant mom, for not coming out to play. Or do I teach them how to say nicely, "You are really nice to me when we play, so when you decide to be nice let me know!"