My Little Bully; Or, Baby's Social Life at Daycare

Now, you should NOT joke about the word bully, but I'm not sure how else to describe a kid who repeatedly pushes the other kids down and thinks it's funny.
That's the baby's latest trick at daycare, and I have to admit, I find it both horrifying AND entertaining.

Last week the baby busted into the older infant room next door. He was thrilled to see new toys. I was sitting on the ground watching him. He ran down to one end of the room (yes, he runs now!) to play with the toy kitchen, then came back to the end of the room where I was sitting next to a toy piano. Another boy (younger than Q but bigger and also walking) wandered near the piano. My baby walked quickly up to him and without slowing down, shoved the boy in the face and knocked him down. I grabbed Q so he wouldn't fall on the other little boy and said, "Q, what was that?" and then, "Sorry, Ryan!" I thought maybe my baby was not aware of the cause-effect part of walking directly into someone....

Until yesterday, when I realized that knocking other kids down is the baby's new game.

This is not good. The other part of the game is where he actually chases the other kid, then shoves him. This is not good either, because chasing a new walker (sorry, Colin!) and knocking him down from behind is just not cool.

Yesterday when I picked Q up at daycare, I had to run around after him preventing him from mauling baby Colin, who, although sturdy, is still a new walker whose balance and falling skills are still developing. Fortunately, Colin knows how to fight Q off, for the most part. I was pleased to see that Colin has learned to grab at Q's face in an attempt to knock him down before Q can get him down.

In a way, it is hilarious to see my baby acting this way. To see this side of his personality... to see him grown up enough to be a bully... I feel like he was just an infant! Now he's the daycare bully! They grow up so fast. (I'm joking sort of.) I guess I'm surprised to see him have his own personality that's different from me. That's what seems grown up to me- that he's doing something that he clearly did not learn from me. And no one else taught it to him, because HE is the main walker at daycare- the other kids, except Colin, crawl.

Update: Just dropped the kid off at daycare, and when I told the morning care provider what I saw him doing yesterday afternoon, she laughed and said, "They all do it!"

I love my daycare. I don't want my baby to graduate to the older room next August because I love the women in the infant room so much.

On the way out of daycare today, I said to the office lady, "He loves it here."
She said, "Yes, he does! He's a happy boy."

Today, before I left, I saw Q:
1. Offer Colin a teething ring, then when Colin took it, Q pulled it away, but Colin wouldn't let go, so Colin pulled Q down and they bonked heads.
2. Walk over to K, his girlfriend, and hit her (not hard) on the back with the teething ring. She was standing up, so I guess he thought she was fair game for rough play. She was not having it, and started crying in that mad way that babies do to show you that they're mad.

I hated to leave, because the babies are getting to be absolutely hysterical to watch play together! And truthfully, I often hang out at daycare for a half an hour every time I pick Q up because
1. It's more fun than being home at my empty house waiting for my husband to get home
2. Q likes to show off for me and show me how he can play
3. I like his daycare ladies so I like to spend time with them
4. It's fun to watch the other kids!