If that neighbour's child is indeed very mean and rude, I wouldn't say
he was your little charge's friend. When you say "only friend" I think
you mean only near neighbour. But surely you could widen the horizens a
bit for the children in your care. And don't limit their potential
friends to people their own exact age.
Children can make fast friencs in various age groups. I would like to
see those two boys you are looking after become fast friends for
eachother. Walk around the new neighbourhood looking for new things that
they have never seen before and discuss these things with them. Help
and encourage them to ask questions of new people they meet.
Take long walks going further and further afield, and use the question
method with strangers, to break the ice and find out something about
them. Ask directions. Ask them where they shop. Ask them where they mail
letters. Ask them if they are using email, what ISP they use. Even if
you don't need the answers, just asking people how to get somewhere will
open a conversation.
Lots of people wish they could have more friends and aquaintances. Even
if they seem to not be interested in your little boys, you never know -
they might have been wanting to speak with them. Make it a game with
the boys.
Pay absolutely no attention at all to that mean and rude child. One of
these days soon he might want to befreind your boys and when that
happens it will be on your terms. When he begins to act in an unsociable
manner, teach "your" boys to get up quietly and move along to play with
someone else, with eachother.and with you. Don't forget that you are the
most valuable playmate they have just now.
Be one.
But for goodness sake don't try to teach that rude mean child how to
act. That's somebody else's job and you can never change other people
You can't even change the boys you are looking after. All you can do is
show them by example how to be cheerful, loving, fair, fun and the kind
of person that others like to be around.
Good luck
GG.
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