Rachel doesn't like Beginners

"I wanna go to Toddlers," she whined this morning.
"Why?" I answered.
"Because."
"Because WHY?"
"I love Toddlers."
"But you love Beginners, too, right? Are the kids nice?"
"No."
"Are the teachers nice?"
"No."
"What toys do you play with in Beginners?"
"The dollhouse and the grocery store."
"Well, you wouldn't be able to play with those toys if you stayed in Toddlers. Sometimes, Rachel, we have to take the next step in life even if we don't want to."
Pause.
"I wanna go to Toddlers," she whined. Which escalated to sobbing and screaming when I tried to drop her off in the gym this morning.

"You know she's going to be fine," Teacher Lynette said. "As soon as you hit the car, she'll have stopped crying."
"Are the other kids nice to her?" I asked timidly.
"Yes!" Teacher Lynette said. "Everybody LOVES playing with her!"
So, I left. A bit relieved but not completely.

***

When I was getting her ready this morning, I pulled on one leg of Rachel's pants, kissed her foot and said, "FOOT!"
Then I pulled on her other leg, kissed her other foot, and said, "FOOT!"
As I stood her up she looked down at me tolerantly and said, "that was cute."
(By the way, she can now distinguish her left from her right!)

***

As we were driving to school this morning Rachel asked, "What did you pack for me today?"
"A banana," I answered. "And strawberries and raisins and baby food."
"Granola bar?" she asked.
Steeling myself for loud wailing I said, "no."
Pause.
"Tomorrow, maybe?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, sweetie," I said. "If we have any left in the house."