All by myself...

Tonight as the kids and I are doing a rundown of their days I had this conversation with my new 1st grader....

Me: "How was the bus ride home?"
Ally: "I was a little nervous but I took a deep breath and I was ok, I cried a little on the inside but just a little"
Me: "I am so glad you did ok, did you sit by anyone?"
Ally: "No, no one wanted to sit by me, I asked Kyle but he sat by Corbin so I just sat by myself."
As she is telling me this it is very matter of fact and she isn't that upset about it. I, however, have to look away and choke back the tears. I am devastated that she is so brave about riding the bus and she is all alone. I know this is a part of life, school, yada yada but this is my baby, my little girl, I wasn't prepared for this in 1st grade. This is one of the first times I have felt absolutely helpless as a parent. I remember those moments when everyone is laughing and having a good time and you are wishing you could be part. I moved to a new high school when I was a sophomore I spent a good 2 weeks hanging out in the bathroom at lunch because I didn't have any one to sit with. I had to stop reliving my high school nightmare and be brave. I told her that soon she will make some new bus friends, she just said "yeah, I know", continued eating and went right in to something else.
I feel my choices at this point are to
1. Hunt down this Kyle kid and tell him he is missing out and the next time my daughter asks him to sit by her he better think twice before answering
2. Get on the bus with her and help her make a friend
3. Back to hunting down Kyle
Ok, so I know kids make friends really easy and I know she will be fine. After all she wasn't even that concerned about it so I am going to try to chill out and hold it together. I am glad she didn't pick up on my emotion I will have to stay strong when I ask about the bus ride tomorrow. If you ask me about this in person it is a true bet that I will cry so let's communicate this one by email for now!