Friends Forever How Parents Can Help Their Kids Make and Keep Good Friends

The author presents a systematic plan for parents helping kids make and sustain friendships including:*Making time for friends by not overscheduling *Developing interests that attract friends. Dancing and sports are in; solitary video games out.*Finding friends in the neighborhood.* The potential for a positive role with internet social networking as a way to meet and stay connected -- including instant messsaging, web sites, blogs, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Addiction can become a problem but the correct and supervised use of internet and social networking is now an essential part of kids' friendship.* Dealing with Teasing & Bullying* Learning social and emotional intelligence skills like listening, empathy, compassion, recreational conversation.* Modeling friendships in your own life, at work, in the neighborhood, and at home.* Helping kids deal with and survive stormy friendships.The author's philosophy is that parents can take on the important role as model, advocate, champion, and facilitator, in a highly effective and important way. Kids must have friends, it's essential, and we can help.

Fred Frankel, PhD, is the director of the UCLA Parent Training and Children's Social Skills Programs and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. He has appeared on NPR, and his work has been included in Family Circle, Reader's Digest, Parents magazine, Child magazine, Redbook, and Working Woman.