Even best friends fight sometimes and fixing things can be hard for all concerned. Common reasons for arguments are that one feels her/his friend is
Being left out of games or conversations is very hurtful and makes the child lonely and sad or sometimes angry and revengeful. While adults can help a child sort out the problem the situation really must be solved by the children themselves. Talk to your child about feelings, How he/she felt and how they think the other child felt. Ask questions about how the fight started. Instead of focusing on the fight, ask the child to think of ways to solve the problem. Often a fight is temporary and all will be forgiven and forgotten by next day. Do accept your child's feeling and that the disagreement has been important as refusing to listen to what your child is saying will make him think that you don't care and there is nobody to turn to. Just talking about what happened is a good way to minimise stress and often parents find that the friendships are back on track after their child has talked about the problem. Kids can have quite intense friendships, but it is good to encourage your child to be friends with a number of children. A child who has no siblings may find it harder to accept fights with a special friend as she may not have learnt to share or to defend property or to express his/her feelings to other children.
Some children say that their friend makes them act in certain ways or that they must always do what their friend wants. Explain to your child that friends can make suggestions about what to do, but he/she should think carefully about the likely consequences. How will your friend feel if you laugh at her? What might happen if you run off and leave your friend alone? Can you say sorry without blaming your friend?
Throughout life we will value our friends even though we may lose touch with some and will form new friendships at each stage of life.
Other website by Helen Ecans