Friendship is very important in our lives. Friends are by our side through thick and thin; they are our playmates, adventure buddies, and confidants. As parents, we are concerned that our children socialize. These tips for making friends will help you with your child.
Not all of us have the same ability to relate to others, much less to have friends; therefore, parents are critical in motivating the coexistence of their children with other children.
According to the NYU Langone Health’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, parents play an essential role in developing their children’s social skills and building friendships with other children.
“The socially redirected children had parents involved in their social activities. If your child has problems with a friend, encourage him to talk to them and think about how they can handle similar situations if they come up again”
Remember that not all children relate in the same way, and we must understand that each is different.
We recommend: Friendship in children: Why is it so important to have friends?
The book Redes sociales: infancia, familia y comunidad (Social Networks: Childhood, Family, and Community) shares some recommendations for parents to help their children establish friendships.
Do not miss: Ten movies for children that teach the value of friendship
Carlos Gutiérrez, a psychologist at the Northwest Psychological Institute, explained that children isolate themselves due to their personality or a pathological cause; we parents have to be very attentive to identify our children’s behavior.
“Children by nature make friends, play and run and thus begin to develop friendships. If that doesn’t happen in the early years, there is a problem; it may be autism or many other causes. But if the child does have that contact and then isolates himself, something happens in his family relationship”
The levels of stress to which a child is exposed or different parenting styles at home can alter his behavior, which will be reflected in how he interacts socially.
Another situation that can affect the interaction of our children is bullying. If your little one tells you that they are bothering him or that no one wants to play with him, you should listen and talk to him. If he suffers from bullying, you need to notify the educational authorities so that they can intervene and take the necessary measures.
Dr. Gutiérrez recommends that we include him in the group when seeing an isolated child and help him live with others. Always respect the personality of the little one, as well as his tastes, without forcing him.
If you detect that your child isolates himself or has changes in his behavior, you must seek help from a specialist to find the cause.
Friendship is a necessity for healthy psychosocial development. The Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona in Spain indicates that children with friends enjoy a state of optimal well-being and better self-esteem and have fewer social problems in adulthood than children who do not have friends.
In contrast, children with trouble making friends are more likely to feel lonely, be teased by their peers, have academic problems, and engage in destructive behaviors.
The institution highlights that the younger the children are when they start having friends, the more likely they will establish friendships later. 75% of preschool children have friends, and in adolescence, between 80 and 90% say they have friends, usually indicating that one or two are the best and the others are good.
Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara
Spanish version: Here
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