Handling rejection in toddlers

What? You mean three year olds are actually capable of handling such emotional issues?

You bet!

Tee, my very vocal and direct daughter, is best friends with a girl three months her senior whom she started school with at the same time. They have been best friends at school, always looking forward to seeing one another every morning, always looking out for each other and having the times of their lives together. As first friends, as best friends.

This week however, my girl decided that she liked someone else better, best friend's elder sister. AND she told her best friend this straight to her face. Best friend was visibly hurt and went home crying to her mother, asking why Tee preferred somebody else to her. She thought they were best friends!

Today, when I dropped Tee off at school, best friend came up to me to ask why Tee preferred her older sister to her. The question stunned me.

So I quickly responded that sometimes, people like older people because they look up to them. It doesn't mean they don't like the younger people and some day, she would have younger people liking her more too. Weak, I know......

I didn't have time to talk to her as I was rushing off so perhaps I will have a chat with her again tomorrow to explain that sometimes, people have different likes and these likes are subject to change at anytime. Just how she may like carrots today and not tomorrow.

What would you have said?