Comments on: Can You Trust Your Child’s Social Instincts? Or is She a Bully?

By: Callie Krispin

Callie Krispin — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 11:53:37 +0000

Sorry! For some reason the rest of my post did not go through…

I am observing my 3 year old son behaving similarly to the girl who wants to play. He has played with the same group of kids for over a year now, but it has only been within the past 4 months that he has cared about engaging with them. He often comes on too strong and does not stop when his friend says “no, please stop doing that” or even gives him a little push out of frustration. I never let things get too physical, but before the situation escalates to physicality, I’m not sure when or how I should intervene. I feel stuck between wanting to just observe and let him feel the feeling of “I’m annoying this kid, he’s not going to want to play with me if I keep doing this, that’s disappointing for me, it’s okay to feel disappointed” and feeling like I’m not supporting either child. I think there must be something in between that is the best third solution, I just don’t know what it is.

Any advice or guidance to a post you’ve already created would be so helpful. Thank you!

By: Callie Krispin

Callie Krispin — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:34:29 +0000

Hi Janet,

By: Callie Krispin

Callie Krispin — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:26:15 +0000

Hi Janet,

I am curious about what you recommend to help the child wanting this little girl’s attention. You mention that she is learning to read social cues from her peers, which is an important skill. How might her parent support her in that learning process? My 3 year old son has played with the same children every week for the past year. Only within the last 4 months has he shown an interest in engaging with them. He comes on strong and doesn’t listen to the other children saying “No, please stop!”, or even stop after they’ve pushed him out of frustration. I am there to observe the interaction and intervene if anything gets too physical, but I’m not exactly sure what to say or do when he is not listening to them say “stop, you can’t play with us”.

Any advice or guidance to a piece you’ve done covering this topic would be appreciated. Thanks!

By: Kenzie

Kenzie — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 02:36:09 +0000

Wow, I’m so thankful for this podcast. My daughter is 4.5 but has exhibited the same behavior since toddlerhood. I’m learning to see her for who she is–perhaps tending towards introversion–and I love the confidence she shows in choosing her friendships. Having grown up believing that being nice meant pleasing everyone, I am definitely learning a lot as her parent! One question that has really challenged me is what to say to the other parent in these situations. This podcast makes me want to focus even more on just being there for my child, and letting relationships with other parents come naturally out of that.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Tue, 22 May 2018 00:04:53 +0000

Hi Janet,
My 3 year old is going to be starting a ballet class in a couple weeks. I’m on board with what you said as far as a structured class not being necessary for this age, but she is interested and I’d like her to have an opportunity to see an adult, other than me, as an authority figure. It’s only once a week for a month so we’re gonna try it out. I’m wondering if you have any suggestions to prepare her for it?