Helping Your Children Develop Their Friendships

Posted on May 1, 2010 @ 2:47 am

Childhood is a pivotal time in developing the ability to cultivate friendships. Parents can help their children establish bonds with their peers by getting involved and having play dates at their homes.

The play dates will enable you to see how your child and his friends get along in different settings and respond to family members. Get to know their friend’s parents and what they’re like. This will help you understand their family dynamics.

It’s the parents role to help their child learn values and morals and to recognize those traits in the friends they make. Let your child know that these things are important to you and values like honesty are necessary in a good friendship.

Let me illustrate this with an example from my own life. My daughter came to me one day with a problem concerning her new friend. She was distressed because her friend wanted her to lie to me about an upcoming trip they were going on. My daughter said she didn’t want to lie to me but her friend was pressuring her and telling her what to say.

I was proud that my daughter felt she could confide in me and I took the opportunity to reinforce the values I hold dear, such as honesty and responsibility. We discussed the situation and what makes a person a good friend.

I was gratified to learn that she had decided to end the friendship. She said she didn’t want a friend who would make such demands on her and put her in an awkward position.

Parents should take into consideration that every child is different. Some like to socialize in large groups and make friends easily. Others prefer more intimate relationships with a small group of friends.

Find out how your child feels about their friends and friendship in general. By staying involved you will help empower your child to make the right decisions and stay true to their values.

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