In the Media – When your kid breaks up with a close friend (Chicago Tribune)
Screenshot (Chicago Tribune)
When a kid breaks up with a close friend, not only is it tough on the child but it’s tough on the parent watching it happen. Without the maturity to put the loss into perspective, the child may be sad and despondent—even inconsolable. Understandably, a parent may feel totally helpless at soothing the hurt.
Remember the pain you felt the first time you had a romantic breakup?
Writing in the Chicago Tribune, journalist Danielle Braff addresses the question of what to do when your young kid breaks up with a friend.
She interviewed several experts including The Friendship Doctor. She writes:
“Children tend to be less experienced in breaking up than adults,” said Irene Levine, psychologist and author of “Best Friends Forever.” “Emotional firsts can be especially painful, more so for a child who is shy and has difficulty making new friends.”
Yet a quarter to a half of children’s friendships don’t survive a full school year, so these breakups will come more and more frequently, said Eileen Kennedy-Moore, psychologist and author of the audio/video series “Raising Emotionally and Socially Healthy Kids.”
Branff makes several practical recommendations to parents coping with this problem. When your kids breaks up with a close friend:
- Be a good listener
- Help your young child express what he/she is feeling
- Suggest efforts to mend the friendship
- Encourage multiple friendships to avoid this devastating hurt
- Make new friendships to replace those that fray
Click here to read the Chicago Tribune article in its entirety.
Category: Helping children deal with friendship problems, IN THE MEDIA
A good reason why kids, even very young ones, should be encouraged to have more than one friend.