Article September 6, 2010 Issue

NEVER LEFT OUT

BY SALLY BERGQUIST

"THEY'RE LEAVING ME OUT," my daughter, Rachel, said dejectedly. "They just want to talk to each other, and when I try to catch up, they skate faster."

She had invited two friends to come roller skating, and now it appeared they were having a better time with each other than with her. As I skated around, watching the situation, I had to agree that they were leaving Rachel out.

The next time she came around, I started to offer some parental advice. "Why don't you tell them how you feel?" I said, offering a tactic that often worked in my field of preschool and kindergarten teaching. I'd seen how young children reached out to those who were feeling excluded as soon as they understood the situation.