My Funny Valentine

The other day I was brushing Finley's hair and she started the normal whimpering (before the comb actually even touched her hair.) She is in the process of growing her hair soooooo long (just like Caroline, who happens to be the 4-year-old president of the "BFF Club" at preschool. Seriously ????) But to avoid any confusion - she is only growing her back hair, not her front hair, which others may call bangs. We haven't quite reached her her shoulders yet. So anyhow, I started to tell her how you get more tangles when your hair is long, and I remember not liking when Nana combed my hair as a kid. She said, "Oh, Nana combed your hair because she was your mom?" Yes, I tell her. Then she said Papa must have given me lots of gum because he was my dad. I told her not so, he didn't give out a lot of gum when I was a kid. Then I leaned in and told her that he must give her lots of gum because he really loves her. "Oh Mom, don't worry, he really loves you too," she said. (Melt my heart!!!)
Back to the hair brushing, at which point she asks the regular daily question,
Finley: "Isn't I'm getting such wong (long) hair??"
Mom: "Yes Finley, you are."
Mom: "Did you know that when I was little, my hair was all the way down to here?" (I point to mid-back.)
Finley: "You mean down your back?"
Mom: "Yep"
Finley: "Ooooh, (pause) well, mine's still longer."

Dear Mean Girl at the library,
I am sure you are really a nice little girl with a mom who would be mortified at your behavior had she put down her cell phone and/or latte long enough to hear your words. That being said... I don't like you. Not at all. Not. At. ALL!!!
As I sit here writing this I fear smoke may actually be coming out my ears, you have awakened the mama lion in me and you messed with my child. Grrrr!!! My sweet three year old child who loves people, tells every stranger in the grocery store her baby sister's name, that she loves tank tops and that we are going to Disney World this year. My Finley who may talk incessantly, but always has something nice to say. Tell me mean girl, what would have been the harm of just smiling politely at her and saying hi back? Instead you proceeded to tell her that you were not her friend, and that your friends who were with you, were not her friends either. And then, in case she was not clear on the situation, you listed all your friends not present who were also not her friends. And with a wave of your hand and the arrival of one of your many friends, you so kindly asked her to just "get away so I can visit with my friend." And I her mom, had to watch her sweet little face crumple and her perfect doe eyes instantly fill with tears as she asked to please go home and said "I don't ever want to come back here." I had to be the one to tell her that you were not being a nice person! Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a good enough answer as to why you didn't want to be her friend. But whatever the reason, you're the one who lost out today!
So like I said you're just a kid, probably from a decent family, but today you have made me very MAD!! Is it too much to ask that my sweet little girl believes a bit longer that people are nice and all kids are friends?? You, mean library girl, are on my shit list today!! Nuff said.