If your child says that they would like to change something about their life, do they have the skills they need to make that happen? Do they think they can make the change? Helping your child to make changes is something parents need to teach, as life is all about change. They can’t avoid it.
The ability to make changes relates to many things in life but in this case, let’s look at friendships and the changes that happen there. For example, your child may have fallen out with a group of friends but would like to build bridges and become friends again. But if things were left on bad terms, they may need to approach this carefully.
Rather than let them blunder into a potentially awkward situation that could get worse, help your child to think about how they will approach things.
Steps for Implementing Change
Before they try to rebuild the friendship, ask them to consider the practicalities:
- How would they do it?
- When would they do it?
- Where would they do it?
- What would they do to become friends again?
- What would they say?
- Would they approach the whole group or just one person?
Get them to really think about the logistics of this happening and the answers to the questions. There could be potential consequences to their plan, so let them think of possible scenarios and problems. This will help prepare them for what may lie ahead.
- What would happen if they carried out this action?
- How would the group respond?
- Is it a good plan?
- They need to think of the response so that they are prepared for every eventuality.
- How would they feel if their plan went to schedule?
- How would they know it had worked? (Would they all start talking and being together again at breaks?)
- What might stop them from becoming friends again? What other approaches could they take?
Make a list together of the different ways they could solve their friendship problem and discuss each one before they try it out.
This kind of focused change hones in on all aspects of how the change can happen, and these questions are important to think about before taking action. This process can be applied to many life changes, including self-improvement and dealing with new situations. Whatever the change your child is going through, helping your child work out the what, why, how, when, and where will help them feel more prepared and in control.
50 Ways to Help Your Child with Successful Friendships
There is a great ebook on successful friendships which you can download if you’d love to get some more ideas, and it’s only £2.50.
