Sad Play

This morning I found myself, not for the first time since I've had kids, wishing I'd gone and done some kind of psychology course. Specifically, child psychology. How do I help my 7 year old child who is crying because at break time she needs to FIND friends? Find, because they:

• already have enough for the game they are playing - it only needs 4 players
• don't want to play with her
• play for a little while and then leave
• have run out of class, without taking her with

This is a little girl who has such a soft heart.And listening to this, my heart breaks.

Now I'm one of those mom's who automatically asks, "What did you do to them?" I don't believe my daughter is beyond reproach or perfect. She doesn't seem to think she's done anything wrong. Was she being bossy and the kids have had enough? No? It could still be that, but now I start to think that maybe it could be the other kids being nasty. I've seen it before with my own eyes.

But why? She doesn't dress funny, or have bad breath or any birth marks that the kids can tease her about. So why don't the kids want to play with my precious little girl. It's not like she's trying to make new friends. She's been at school with them for a year, some for two years. How do I get to the bottom of this without lining the culprits up against the wall and giving them 20 questions? I'm sure moms and dads would love me for that, not to mention the school.

I've brought it up with the teacher before and she spoke to the class, but here we are again. I know I can't protect her from all the lessons in life, and I shouldn't. But how do I give her the right advise to deal with this lesson?