Ballet buddies

Lola has ballet class at the preforming arts center in our town. A very young classically trained ballerina teaches the three year old girls to plie, arabesque, and courtesy. The girls are required to wear the school's uniform: pink leotard, pink skirt, pink tights, and pink ballet slippers. Needless to say, it is just so adorable. I convinced my close circle of friends to enroll their daughters too. I invited my neighbor's twin daughters Sally and Kat, Sissy's first best friend Mimi, and a friend from Lola's school Susy.Lolaknows all of the girls very well and they are frequent visitors to our house for play dates. However, these girls do not know of each other - and do not know the relationships that each other has with Lola. This was my first mistake.

Class started and the teacher invited the class to sit "Criss, cross, applesauce" for ballet hello. "Miss Lola, Miss Mimi, Miss Sally .... girls, attention girls, gather around me for ballet hello." Miss Lola sat down and immediately all four girls ran to sit down next to her. It was a race and it was on. Each girl dashing forward tutus fluttering behind, their chubby arms extended blocking each other, they resembled football players going after the ball then a graceful class of ballerinas. One fell down on Lola's left side, one plopped down on the other side, one slid safely in front of Lola and one ended up behind her. The teacher very calmly explained that everyone needed space to stretch .... "No, Lola is my friend. I want to sit next to her!!!" Mimi screamed. Susy was the next to speak up, "No, she really is MY friend and I'm next to her." Then quiet little Sally just burst into tears and ran into her mom's arms. And her twin Kat cried, "I am Lola's friend too and I want to sit next to her." This continued through the stretching, through the bar exercise, through the galloping across the room, through the freeze dance, and through the ballet goodbye. All four girls showed ownership of by holding her hand and/or putting their arms around each other's shoulders. Lola could have been easily overwhelmed - but it did not phase her at all. In fact, she was so happy she had "soooo many girlfriends in my ballet skoooool."