Ep. 110: Closeness and distance in friendship | Friendship advice for kids

FREE quiz: Is Your Child a Good Friend? https://eileenkennedymoore.ck.page/e37dcc098f

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast?

SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com.

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents.

*** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

- Have you ever been apart from a friend, maybe because they moved away, went on vacation, or were in a different class? How did that affect your friendship? What did you do to try to stay close?

- In general, how often do you like to get together with a friend? What do you think is the ideal length of time to hang out with a friend? Why do you like that timing?

- What are some ways that being apart can strengthen a friendship?

- What do you like to do when you can’t get together with a friend?

*** You might also like these podcast episodes:

Ep. 97 - How and why to understand a friend’s feelings (Zoya, Age 7)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep97-how-and-why-to-understand-a-friends

Ep. 92 - What to say when a friend feels down (Mason, Age 13)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep92-mason-age-13-what-to-say-when-a-friend-feels-down

Ep. 76 - Friends ditch her! (Anaya, Age 10)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep76-anaya-age-10-friends-ditch-her

Ep. 109:Two kinds of fitting in | Friendship advice for kids

FREE quiz: Is Your Child a Good Friend? https://eileenkennedymoore.ck.page/e37dcc098f

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast?

SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com.

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents.

*** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

- What is different between the current you vs you three or four years ago? What is still the same?

- What do you think it means to “be yourself”?

- In what situations have you felt less like yourself? Why?

- Why is just walking up to someone and telling them everything about you not a good strategy for making friends or fitting in? (Hint: How is that likely to feel if you did that?)

- When have you experienced the cozy kind of fitting in??

*** You might also like these podcast episodes:

Ep. 44 - Change self to make friends? (Vera, Age 8)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/vera-age-8-change-self-to-make-friends

Ep. 95 - Knowing when and how to stop (Owen, Age 8)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep70-owen-age-8-stop-signals

Ep. 12 - Get rid of toxic friends? (Jessie, Age 13)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-ep59-jessie-age-13

Ep. 108: Strategies for facing fears | Friendship advice for kids

FREE quiz: Is Your Child a Good Friend? https://eileenkennedymoore.ck.page/e37dcc098f

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast?

SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com.

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents.

*** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What were you afraid of when you were younger but aren’t afraid of now? How did you become unafraid of that?

Think of a time when you felt anxious in a social situation. What thoughts were going through your mind (i.e., what were you afraid might happen)? How did you handle the situation?

Dr. Friendtastic said, “Feeling anxious can lead them to avoid social situations, but that guarantees they’re not going to build the friendships they want.” How could you explain that in your own words?

There are two main ways to cope with anxiety: Jump right in or go in toe-by-toe. Which do you generally pregfer and why?

*** You might also like these podcast episodes:

Ep. 102 - How to express your feelings with friends (Aida, Age 5)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep102-how-to-express-your-feelings-with-friends

Ep. 95 - Handling embarrassing moments (Sara, Age 7)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep95-handling-embarrassing-moments-sara-age-7

Ep. 12 - Kid bullies him at recess (Adrian, Age 9)

https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-ep-12-adrian