Tip 14: Get To Know Your Child's Friends

This next tip is very important. Many times parents don't realize just how important is it to get to know their child's friends.

Tip #14: Get to know your child's friends.

You need to watch young children who are just starting pre-school or kindergarten. Check out who they choose to play with and choose as friends. Many times children are leaders and children just want to be around them. Parents usually don't have to worry as much about children who are leaders except for what kind leader they are . Other children are followers and just wanting other children to like them. These children are the ones you want to see what kind of friends they are attracted to. The last kind of child is usuall quite shy or would rather play alone. These children you want to encourage to socialize and learn how to make friends. Usually as a child gets older their taste in friends don't change much. There are 3 very important things a parent needs to look out for with their children's friends.

1. Is the friend that your child wants to be around supervised well outside of school? You don't want your child to spend too much time with children who have little or no supervision. Many times these children experiment and try things earlier then children whose parents keep a close eye on their child.

2. Set up play dated with other children and their parents so you can see how your child interacts with children around the same age. Better yet you will want to see how the friend interact with their parents. If the child is disrespectful or too demanding, let your child know that that is unacceptable behavior for your family. If your child has real trouble getting along with or socializing with their peers, set up more time and make more opportunities for your child to interact with other children.

3. If you notice that there are real problems with your child getting alone or playing with children, get professional help if you truly have concerns. The earlier you get your child help with social play and sharing the better it will be for the child when they school starts.