What Would You Do? Picking Your Children’s Friends in Idaho

What would you do? What would you do if you saw a child being mean to your kid, but your kid thought that person was their friend? Would you tell them they can no longer hang out with that kid to protect your child? Would you let them keep being friends and hope things work out? Would you ban the kid from your home and try to cut them off entirely? Would you kidnap the mean child and hide them in the woods? Don't do the last one, that is illegal, and it is a child after all, but nobody wants to see their kid getting mistreated and taken advantage of. As a parent, what would you do?

Protecting Children From Bullies in Idaho

Growing up, most children make friends in school, on sports teams, or perhaps at church. Playing with other kids is a vital part of growing up, and teachers teach children social skills, how to share, and how to play nicely. Typically, they are drawn to kids with similar interests and don't care about things adults do like social class, race, or gender. Some of those things will still take place naturally, but typically they enjoy playing with kids who live close by, like the same things, and are in their class. While this can lead to great friendships, it can also lead to children that your child thinks are friends, who perhaps are using your kid for their toys, their video games, or to have someone to boss around and play what they want to play. As a parent, you may recognize this instantly, but your child may not. How should you handle it?

Choosing Your Child's Friends in Idaho

Many parents would love to be able to choose who their kid becomes best friends with and which kids they hang out with the most, but it doesn't work that way. Your child has to enjoy the kids, get along with them, and want to be around them. You may see nice kids playing, but your kids, for whatever reason, aren't friends with them. At birthday parties, you can often see which kids you prefer for your child and which you want them to avoid, and when your kid is with the avoid kids, it can make things tough. There are ways to cut your child off from these kids and push them towards others. You can tell them that they aren't nice and are mistreating them, or you can always come up with an excuse for why they can't play outside of school. By doing this, though, you are putting your child in a bubble and not letting them learn how to navigate these situations, and this is one reason why parenting is so tough.

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As much as we want to protect our kids, they can't be cut off from the world. They will still see these kids in school, and by telling them they can't play, it could lead to trouble at school and bullying, making this a tough path to navigate. If your child were playing with a kid who wasn't nice to them, what would you do?