Are you concerned about your daughter's friendships?

CBC News

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Sep 26, 2006
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Female relationships can be complex, difficult to navigate, and infinitely rewarding, especially for girls. It can be hard to tell friend from frienemy.
In a recent CBC News story, Dr. Melanie Barwick suggested that maintaining open communication with your daughter can help her feel comfortable talking about her friendships. "It is possible to provide supportive reassurance about the difficulties she is facing or will face in certain friendships, and it will likely be helpful and encouraging for her to learn that we have all experienced similar situations and learned from them," says Barwick.
Get tips on how to help your children navigate tricky relationships and read the full story.
Then, share your story. Are you concerned about your daughter's friendships? Do you feel she's being bullied?




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karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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bliss
My daughter is friends with a girl whose parents split, and each started new families, complete with new babies on both sides.

This girl is messed up. She says some of the most atrocious, violent, threatening things. I can't stand having my daughter around her. She makes me extremely uneasy. And these are only 8 and 9 year olds. I can't even imagine how nervous her friendships will make me when she's older. *sigh*
 

talloola

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 14, 2006
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Vancouver Island
Having raised four daughters, I have lots of memories. Raising children is a complex task.

Over the years I have noticed one thing that I think is important concerning your daughter's friends.

Keep your daughters very involved with activities of 'all sorts', sports, dancing, drama,
on and on, whatever they like, but lots of activity. They will likely choose friends who
are also part of those activities.

Young people who have 'nothing' to do, seem to be the ones who find poor areas to vent
their energies, too much time on their hands, and very little guidance.

My daughters had great friends, ball players, hockey players, dancers, gymnasts, and others, and all
were very busy all the time, had responsibilities, practices, tournaments, recitals, etc.
and the bottom line seems to be that, there isn't time to think up 'wrong' things to
do, to get them into trouble.

By the time they finish all their activities they might be 17 or 18 years old, and
quite grown up, and are making decisions about their lives in a very mature manner.

Of course nothing is foolproof, some fall through the cracks, as some parents just
'aren't there for their kids', and those kids have to figure it out by themselves, not a
good idea.