Helping your child be a good friend

See Mary Jane Rotheram, PhD's video on Helping your child be a good friend...
Helping your child be a good friend | Kids in the House
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Helping your child be a good friend

Comment
42
Like
42
Transcription: 
Your child learns how to be a good friend to others from you. If you are a good friend, your child will know how to be a good friend. It’s important that every time you see your child acting as a good friend, you catch them being good. Being a good friend yourself and catching your child doing what you want, acting consistent with your values in how they interact with others is how your child becomes a good friend. Parents who are catching their children being good friends need to be realistic about their expectations. Two and three year olds don’t share and it’s unrealistic to expect them to. They’re working as hard as they can to figure out what’s me and what’s not me. So knowing that my toys belong to me it’s realistic for three year olds to act that way. Friendship doesn’t become reciprocal until about first grade. So if you expect in what your child to be a good friend and to be able to catch them being good, you have to be realistic about what you’re catching them being good and how they’re going to do that.

See Mary Jane Rotheram, PhD's video on Helping your child be a good friend...

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Mary Jane Rotheram, PhD

Psychologist

Dr. Rotheram-Borus has spent the past 20 years developing, evaluating, and disseminating evidence-based interventions for children and families. She has worked extensively with adolescents, especially those at risk for substance abuse, HIV, homelessness, depression, suicide, and long-term unemployment. Dr. Rotheram-Borus has directed and implemented several landmark intervention studies that have demonstrated the benefits of providing behavior change programs and support to families in risky situations. Several of these programs have received national and international recognition, including designation as model programs by the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, Dr. Rotheram-Borus has ongoing projects in Uganda, China, and South Africa, as well as the United States. Dr. Rotheram-Borus has authored or co-authored more than 200 journal articles, including publications in Science, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the American Journal of Public Health. She has received more than 40 grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse to design prevention programs for children and families at high risk for HIV, mental health problems, suicide, and substance abuse. In 2001, Science identified her as number two of the top-funded NIH multi-grant recipients; she was the only woman in the top ten.

More Parenting Videos from Mary Jane Rotheram, PhD >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter