Lyra (my three year old daughter) was sitting quietly in a chair on our back deck – a very unusual thing for our talkative and active little girl.

I sat down beside her and asked, “How was school today?”

Looking at her hands and in a sad little voice she said, “I got pushed two times today.”

“By the same person or by a different people?” I asked

“By Lloyd and Will. I pushed them pack but they wouldn’t stop pushing and pushing” she said. I could hear the hurt in her voice. “Ms. Samantha told them no and talked to them.”

“Did they hurt you or did they hurt your feelings?” I asked

“My feelings.”

“Are they usually your friends?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you think you’ll be friends tomorrow?”

With the sadness still in her voice, she confidently said, “Yes.”

Sometimes we push each other. Yes, even adults do from time to time. We all hurt each other and we hurt each other’s feelings from time to time, but do we play together as friends the next day? Do we believe we can, even when we’re hurting?

May we remember how to be friends like preschoolers.