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Ah well this is something our head person at nursery Helen told us - almost 99% of children who seem unhappy when dropped off are only unhappy in presence of their parents - soon as the parents disappear and they've had a cuddle from staff they are as happy as the rest of the children.

Children learn about power and manipulation at a very early age (sometimes as early as 18months) and so if they know that you get upset that they are reacting this way when you drop them off then they will play on it because it gives them power.

That may sound a bit strong - but for children it's about learning how the world works and so they very often don't know their being manipulative but they know it gets a reaction so they use it.

Just take comfort in the fact that if your child was unhappy after you left and this carried on for a period of days then the nursery would tell you - the fact that they haven't means that she is really ok there - she's just making it known that she doesn't like her seperation from you at the start.

How you react now will depict how they act and react at school as they get older and how they interact with other children at school as they get older.

So drop her off, smile, tell her you love her and to have a good day and then turn and walk away - don't look back because this is what she may be expecting.  If she realises your not going to look  back then she'll no londer turn on the tearworks, because it will have no reaction.