pull down to refresh
Yes, for now they trust me, and I would hate for that to change—for them to stop telling me things, or worse, for them to run into a problem and try to solve it on their own without asking for my help. That’s one of my fears; I swear I do everything I can to find ways to preserve that bond.
It’s heartbreaking to watch our daughters be kind to others, only to be treated poorly or rejected in return. Making new friends doesn’t come easily to every child. I thanked her for being honest with me and sharing what was going on; we’ve talked quite a bit. I explained to her that a true friend would never suggest that she harm herself. I don’t want to be too pushy by forbidding the friendship or coming across as overly negative; instead, I need to gradually distance them—in a way that my daughter won’t notice. If I were to say what I’m really thinking, I’d likely destroy the trust she has in me; she might even think I’m being cruel or something similar—especially since this is the first friend she’s made since we returned to Venezuela 18 months ago.
I did consider, for a moment, speaking with the girl’s parents, but the plan struck me as so macabre that it set off an alarm bell for me; I suspect that the girl might be going through something harmful. That is why I sought help from a specialist at the school so they could look into whether or not the girl is alright.
Second, i'd assess the degree to which my child "is their own person" and understands that this person's advice is not to be listened to.
She told me that she played along when her friend was explaining the plan, but that she had no intention of actually doing it which is why she told me. It’s still quite concerning, though, and now I’m on alert.
I was quite concerned, which is why I sought help from a specialist at the school; I also considered the possibility that the child might be going through something serious at home and not know how to ask for help. My intention is for the educational psychologist to look into the situation and, if necessary, initiate a safeguarding protocol because, ultimately, we are talking about a nine year old girl who also needs protection.
Likewise, I am gradually reducing the contact my daughter has with her. Currently, they only see each other once a week, under my supervision, and I have encouraged my daughter to focus more on other friendships and to get to know new people. I made it clear to her that the advice her friend gave her is wrong, because a friend would never ask you to harm yourself.
One must exercise a great deal of tact in this situation, and strengthen the trust our children may have in us that is the most difficult part.
This rug is basically a giant scratching post, and he loves it. I need to look for other options or a similar rug, but smaller just for him. That’s a really great idea!
I saw a story from a guy who says that Duolingo keeps teaching him the phrase "I'm thinking about taking a shower with the children." WTF?
It seems rather questionable to me; if the goal is to teach verb conjugation, I think there are better sentence options.
You definitely don’t need a gym to stop being sedentary. Want to do cardio? Go for a walk or a jog in the park nearest to your home. Want to lift weights? There are plenty of videos that offer ideas using items you already have at home, I remember seeing my neighbors working out with 5 liter and 2 liter water bottles. You can find hundreds of videos on any social media platform featuring at home exercises; the discipline and willpower, however, have to come from within.
Thank you; it has been a team effort and a labor of love.