Parenting: Making Friends, What You Can Teach Your Kids

One of the most valuable lessons that parents can impart to their children is socialization — how to behave in public and how to conduct relationships with everyone from strangers to family to friends.

Four Tips for Ways Parents Can Help Their Kids Make Friends:

1) Don’t push the child towards a certain person. Sit back and watch and see who your child gravitates towards, naturally. You’ll learn a lot about your child — and yourself — this way.

2) Make friends with the parents of the children your child is around — from preschool to elementary school to high school. Whether it’s parents from sports, church or any other place your child goes on a regular basis. This creates a role model and a bridge for your child.

3) Be more aware of how you treat friends and how friends treat you. If you find yourself leaving a trail of dead and severed friendships, you might want to do a little analysis of your own history of friendships — both your own and your biological family’s.

4) Conduct yourself morally and with good manners always. Even if you feel you have company manners on, make the company manners your regular manners. Etiquette is a huge bridge towards friendships for children and adults.