Adventures in Parenting

Do you know who your kids’ friends are?

Who do they hang out with? Who is influencing your children?

Birds of a feather, flock together, they say. Here are some ways to make sure our kids are with a good flock:

1. Volunteer at your children’s school. You will easily identify who are good kids and who the troublemakers are. You can also see who would likely be compatible with your child. From there, you can proceed with #2 and #3 below.

2. Invite the children to your house. When your children are in elementary school, it’s easy to make friends with the parents, and then invite both the parents and their children to your house to play. Food is an easy draw. People always come for food! I think video games are a good way to get teenagers to your house. I bought the Wii for this purpose.

3. Get together at the park. Bring food and invite the children and parents to play together at the park. There is no pressure, just enjoy a few hours of the outdoors.

4. Take community classes of your child’s interest. My son met a friend in an art class, and that friend and his mom have become our lifetime friends. Having common interests is a good way to find good friends. And it’s easy to continue with more activities together centered around that hobby.

5. Join a service club. My son and daughter were both involved in Scouting. Frankly, the boys in our Boy Scout Troop were not compatible with my son’s personality, but he did have a chance to go hiking, do service projects, and a chance to do activities that he would not normally be able to do. My daughter did make friends in Girl Scouts. Scouting gives a natural setting for kids to learn to work together, and to meet people outside of their class.

What other suggestions do you have for helping your children find good friends?