When starting secondary school, children will be thinking about new secondary school friendships and wondering who will be their friends. Making friends should not be one-sided. Children cannot rely on other people coming up and talking to them and showing who they are. Children need to be brave, be confident and show their peers what they are about and the amazing qualities they have. They possess a remarkable array of qualities that make them exceptional additions to new friendships and so they need to share them!
These innate attributes will allow them to find their tribe and hopefully create genuine and enriching bonds with the right people. What kind of qualities and traits does your child bring to new friends and do they know what they are? Sit down with them and make a list of what makes them them, and how anyone in their lives would be grateful they were their friend.
Attributes To Develop Secondary School Friendships
- Do they have an open mind and are non-judgemental?
- Are they fun to be around? Do they have lots of energy, are light-hearted and like adventure?
- Are they honest and trustworthy?
- Do they show empathy? Children can show genuine concern and understanding for their friends’ emotions and experiences.
- Do they have a natural ability to forgive and move past conflicts quickly, enabling them to maintain strong and resilient friendships?
- Does your child readily accept their new friends for who they are?
- Are they supportive and helpful?
- Are they fearless, resilient and inclusive?
- Does your child like others without putting conditions on their friendships?
- Are they easy-going and offer simple yet profound companionship?
The great attributes children bring to new secondary school friendships will allow them to find the right friends for them and start a new friendship that is hopefully authentic and real. Their playfulness, honesty, empathy, forgiveness, acceptance, creativity, fearlessness and uncomplicated friendship should enrich the lives of those lucky enough to experience it. All of this will increase their confidence when making new friends.
For more information on friendships take a look at my two ebooks on friendships and secondary school.Download them instantly to get the parenting advice you need to help your child transition and settle into secondary school.
