DS will be 14 months old next week.

we take a sign-a-song (music & sign language) class on wed afternoons that is a total of 8 kids, including G.

the kids in the class are anywhere from 10 months (1 little girl) to 12-14 months (3 kids including DS) to 18 months (3 little boys) to 2.5 yrs (1 little girl)

so DS is in the middle age-wise, but one of the biggest.

i don't understand why, but one little boy - he's about 18 months old - seems to "have it out" for DS. he approaches him constantly...with big smiles. and promptly pushes him over. if DS is kneeling up, he will push him back and try to sit on him. DS is just learning to walk - yesterday the kid pushed him backward from a standing position and he fell right back on his head.

i have hung back b/c i figure this just how little kids interact and learn. but it is seriously pissing me off.

this kid is smaller than DS. he literally comes after him repeatedly each week at class. last week the mom was there and she would tell him "no," and "please be gentle," and pick him up and move him. and two seconds later, he would be after DS again.

most other weeks - including yest - the nanny is with the kid. and she doesn't speak much english. and she doesn't seem effective in anticipating his behavior or redirecting him after it starts.

and now, after this kid was pushing DS over and over yesterday, the oldest girl in the class joined in. DS was crawling around and she was walking/running beside him smacking him in the head and back and trying to sit on him

i don't get it?!

her mom would stop her each time and say, "please don't hit G"

but eventually i just picked up DS and held him for the rest of the class

so how am i supposed to handle this kind of stuff? my gut reaction is to chuck these kids out the window, but obviously that won't happen. so i sit there with this fake smile plastered on my face saying, "oh, that's ok. don't worry. i know they aren't trying to hurt G."

and i also try to just let it be - not be in the mix, protecting G. i am assuming i should not be acting like his constant bodyguard, right?

it's just hard to watch. after class yesterday, i was telling DH what happened and i totally started bawling b/c they were picking on my boy. and he was just taking it with this baffled smile on his face most of the time. the only time he cried was the first time he fell back on his head. other than that, he would smile and try to get away from them. but they are as fast, if not faster than him, and he couldn't get away