Best Friends, Worst Enemies

Description

This parents' guide balances anecdotes and theory to examine the social world of children, addressing such issues as: the developmental stages of children's friendships, cliques, bullying, popularity, best friends, social cruelty, pecking order, dating, and the role of parents and schools.

Author description

Michael Thompson is a leading child psychologist based at Harvard who conducts workshops across the United States. He is co-author of the New York Times bestseller Raising Cain. He lives in Arlington, Massachusetts. Catherine O'Neill Grace is the author of numerous non-fiction books for children. She lives in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Table of contents

An invitation to a birthday party; family matters - secure attachment in the first friendship; children and friendship - a developmental tour; when kids have best friends; in the jungle -the power of the group in children's lives; worst enemies - social cruelty in the lives of children; still standing - how kids manage conflict, betrayal and reconciliation; the rules of the gender game - biology and friendship; from cooties to dating; crossing the lines of difference; what schools can do; what parents can do.