Friend is disrespectful (Isaac, age 7.5)

Ep. 10, Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Speaking up for yourself in kind ways

Isaac wonders what to do when another kid treats him and his toys in disrespectful ways. Does that mean the friendship is over?

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. How do you know when your friend’s mistake is something you need to forgive or work through and when it means the end of your friendship?

- Think of a time when you needed to explain to a friend what you were thinking or feeling. What did you say? How did the friend react? 

- Why are “I” statements a powerful way to deal with friendship problems? What makes them more effective than a “You” statement? (Hint: How do you think a friend would respond if you talked about a problem by saying “I want…” versus “You always…”?)

- Why do you think it’s sometimes hard for kids to tell friends about what they think, feel, or want? How could NOT telling friends about your thoughts and feelings hurt a friendship? 

- Can you think of a situation when NOT telling a friend what you think or feel might be the kind thing to do? For example, if you don’t like your friend’s haircut or outfit, do you need to tell your friend or is it better to keep that opinion to yourself? 

Books mentioned in the podcast:

Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/

Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

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