Friends are like socks…

As a parent, one of the hardest things to watch our children struggle with is making (and keeping) good friends. Especially as they get older and drama increases and hurt feelings become harder to overlook.

My daughter recently had a situation where she felt betrayed by a friend. For her, this was devastating, and as a child who often sees the world in black and white she had a difficult time thinking about even being able to talk to this person ever again.

After working through the initial hurt, one of the ways I’ve continued discussions on friendships with her is by comparing friends to socks…

~ Some are comfy that you can wear anytime & anywhere…

~Some only work with certain shoes or outfits…

~Some aren’t really that comfortable, but are so darn cute you keep them just in case …

~Some you keep around even if they have a tiny hole in the bottom…

~And then some you have to let go of, because they don’t fit or are damaged beyond repair.

Learning which type of friends you have in your “drawer” helps you to create a wider network of friendships and feel comfortable in more situations. No longer does one have to have (or be) a perfect friend to be enjoyed or considered valuable. Becoming aware of differences like these can help our children become more socially aware, confident, and understanding in all relationships.

Here’s to a beautiful sock drawer,
Sandy