Did you know that your child does not have to "be friends" with everyone?
Certainly, you want your child to be friendly and kind to everyone but it's also important for them to identify the type of people with whom they should spend their time and on whom they should spend their energy. In reality, there will always be people – children and adults – who make it difficult to have healthy relationships with them. Maybe they're bossy or rude or moody or manipulative – whatever the issue, you don't want your child's feelings and self-esteem impacted by the daily misery that other children exhibiting these types of behaviors bring to their friendships. Help your child identify what they should be able to expect from a friend (honesty, inclusion, dependability, consideration, kindness, etc.) and give them your permission to walk away from relationships that cannot offer these basic characteristics to them. And make sure you model the same types of relationships in your life, too.
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