“Why should she have to play with someone she doesn’t want to play with?”
Tween drama can get seriously messy and, for parents, it can be hard to advise children through it. One mother explained this week, that her daughter has gained a bad reputation because she has no interest in being friends with one particular kid.
Chatting to Mumsnet, the mum explained: “My neighbours asked to talk to me last week to explain that my daughter had upset theirs. They said she refuses to play with their child, and leaves her out.”
The mother was horrified and sat her daughter down to discuss it: “I spoke to my daughter. She said she just doesn’t like the girl in question. She says she’s not mean to her, she’s just annoying and doesn’t want to play with her so she hides when she comes out to play.”
The two girls, who are both 10-years-old, obviously feel differently towards each other, but does that mean this mother should encourage her child to play with someone she doesn’t want to play with?
It’s a toughy.
She goes on to explain: “I’m sure the girl is perfectly nice, but my daughter wants to play fun games and sports with all the kids on the road – when our neighbour’s child comes out to play she just wants to hog my daughter’s attention and won’t join in with the other kids. So it’s not a clear cut situation.
“I don’t ever want another child to be upset – I’d hate it if that was my daughter – but why should she have to play with someone she doesn’t want to play with?”
What do you think? Teaching kids to have their own boundaries is vital, but should we also teach them they won’t like everyone they spend time with?
