Choked Up!

My daughter came home from preschool yesterday very upset. She explained that during lunch a boy was teasing her and some of the other children were laughing. She was very distraught about this. She insisted that this one boy is very mean and has even taken away toys from her before. I guess boys will be boys! I listened to her explanation and tried to get to the root of the problem to see if there was a specific reason why she was being targeted. I know that I will have to do further investigation.
I also understand that some kids are just very mean and that it's all a part of going to school. Is my daughter facing a bully? I tried to make light of the situation for her sake. However, I must admit that I was pretty frazzled about this. I mean, this is my baby we are talking about. Just thinking about it makes me a little choked up. It's very hard for me to accept that I can't always be with her to protect her.
This one episode just reiterated how I was already feeling while watching her grow up. She's stayed home with me for years and I've always been able to pretty much control the type of environment she's in. I've been able to manipulate what she watches on TV, what toys she plays with and even when or where she plays. I mean safety is a very big concern for us as parents. I've tried to keep her out of any situation that could be harmful to her physically and even emotionally. Now, here we are. We've arrived at a place and time that I'm beginning to realize that I cannot always be there with her every minute of every day to control what happens to her. This is a very hard pill to swallow.
I know it sounds like I'm jumping the gun on this one but it's really dawning on me that I've got to begin the process of letting go. Watching your child grow up and learning to fend for their own is not an easy journey for any parent but maybe if I start preparing myself from now it will get easier. After all, I must remind myself that she was never mine to keep. She's merely on loan to me because she belongs to God. He is her father and the good thing about that is He is always with her and He will protect her. That makes me feel better and even more choked up; because I have a warm and fuzzy feeling inside knowing that my children matters to God.