PARENTING + FRIENDSHIPS

Friendships… A true friendship is so precious.

A great friend will pick you up when you’re down, make you laugh until you have happy tears, hold you to your word so you are always being your best self and be your biggest cheerleader. They reach out for no reason just to say hi. They don’t keep score and really get you.

Humans are social beings. One of our basic human psychological needs (as derived from BHPN Theory) is Relatedness. Our ability to connect and bond with others, so we feel wanted, loved and included.

Friendships can make a huge difference in a Little Peeps experience of the world. Yet making friends can be a bit hit and miss and sometimes downright confusing for them.

They learn most of their friendship skills by watching you, their favourite teacher in the world, absorbing how you develop and maintain friendships.

Thought prompts:

• Are you role modelling what strong, healthy friendships look like?
• How much time do you spend connecting with your friends?
• Is there an opportunity for improvement to show your Little Peeps what a good strong friendship is all about?

Try this:

Here’s a quick little exercise you can do with your little one/s to start building awareness of strong and healthy friendships.

Take a few minutes to sit with your Little Peep, give them your undivided attention and ask the question… “What’s one word you can think of to describe a good friend?” Then take turns to share one word at a time. Listen and watch as the magic happens. You may be surprised where the conversation leads.

In one word, great Friendships are…

Action points:

1. Make a date with your Little Peeps to discuss friendships
2. Call a friend and make some time to connect and catch up – it’s about role modelling remember 😉

Photo by Max Goncharov on Unsplash