The playground can be a vicious place. It’s survival of the fittest out there as children jostle for the best swing, the first slide and the coolest ride. I haven’t had a chance to prep Erin, now one, for this brave new world. Her brother is still about three months away from being born, and she doesn’t attend play school, so her bedroom and our small garden are pretty much her domain. She doesn’t have to share her space with anyone, just our cantankerous cat who refuses to give up her corner of the porch. So, it was with some alarm that I observed a boy of about Erin’s age giving her a hearty whack on the head with a bottle over the weekend. I think I was so dumbfounded by the unprovoked attack that I didn’t even think to shout at the offender. I remained glued to the ground, waiting to see how Erin would respond. But, my fears about my little girl’s survival skills were unfounded. She looked a bit surprised, but did not display any signs of pain or fear. She merely turned her back on him and busied herself with the important task of collecting stones. I would have thrown these at the boy, but, thankfully, Erin’s revenge mechanism hasn’t kicked in just yet. It got me thinking though, about how we as parents, have to allow our children the space to encounter these challenges and tests. While I want to hold on to her as tightly as I can, she needs to battle through this and other minefields on her own. And soon she’ll be able to hone her survival techniques on her younger brother.