This week my 7 year old was play fighting with his friend using plastic baseball bats. What could possibly go wrong?!!
Well, the inevitable happened and my son got very upset and angry after being hit on the hand – accusing his friend of doing it deliberately.
You could look at that situation and go “well, they shouldn’t have been playing with the baseball bats because of course it’s going to end in tears”. But both children wanted to play with them and dealing with upsets is part of life.
Our job as parents is not to ensure our children never get hurt or upset.
Our job is to help our children when they do, in order for them to live fully, explore their edges and capabilities, and cope when things go wrong.
So I listened to my son and supported his friend who was upset at the accusation of hurting George deliberately. 5 minutes later they were back with the bats, having a fantastic time together.
Playdates can be fantastic fun (and a great way for you to get work done), but they can also be really difficult when your child is having a meltdown every 5 minutes over the slightest infraction.
Perhaps you think it’s *only* your child who seems incapable of playing well with their friend, especially when their friend is so beautifully behaved?
So if you want playdates to go well, especially because it’s school holidays here in Oz, this week’s podcast episode is going to help!
0 comments