All children come home with tales from the school, playground, daycare centre etc. Let them express their concerns without judging and ask them what they think they can do about it.
What to do if your child has conflicts with their peers:
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* Battles with their peers are part of growing up. What your child will learn from them is that she needs to speak up, negotiate, compromise, forgive and exercise patience in relationships with her peers.
* Parents can use friendships to drive home essential points about resilience. When a child chooses to talk to a friend about a concern, issue, or anything that made them upset, it is a sign they are a good friend.
* Don’t try to sort out her problems by intervening. For the most part, it is important for your child to see that problems can be solved and that she can do it. But if there is serious bullying you need to speak to a teacher.
* If your child seems to be struggling in handling certain social situations, role-playing can be very successful. Pick some situations, either real or made up, that you know your child will encounter. Have your child play both sides of the coin, so she can feel what it would be like to be on both sides. Through role-playing you can discuss what is successful in dealing with different kinds of people.
* Remember that spats between children usually blow over quickly. Things that upset you may be trivial events in your child’s life.
Through relationships, children discover who they are and learn to understand others. When children experience people helping, understanding, and enjoying them, they approach the world with openness and enthusiasm, and they grow to be responsive and caring people.