“I know that I have said you need to be aware of your child’s social position. I know too that it is often difficult to draw a clear line between the exchange of information and gossip. But there is a line, and it has to do with motivation.” ChildrenParentingGossipIntent Book:Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children Source: Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children
“To listen to children dissect one another in public and respond with weak words is not helpful. Wait for an opportunity, catch the malefactors in the act, and then label their behavior for what it is: “That’s cruel.” If it continues, you may have to stop the car and declare, “I have to ask you to stop talking about Isabel that way. It is unbearably cruel and I cannot tolerate it.” Your child and your child’s classmates should know that you do not condone their horrible treatment of one another and will not collude silently with it.” ChildrenFriendshipParentingGossipBullyingInterventionBystander Intervention Book:Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children Source: Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children