supporting kids’ emotional growth Archives

4 Jun 2025

Who Your Kids Hang Out with Matters

Kids don’t always realize that the people they spend time with influence their choices, behaviour, and how they’re perceived — by peers, adults, and even authority figures. Friends influence choices in ways that can affect a child’s confidence and sense of self.

That’s why it’s so important to have conversations about who they’re choosing to hang out with — and why it matters.

Here’s something I tell my son: “You don’t need to be the one making the poor choice to face the consequence of it. Just being there can make you guilty by association. That’s why it’s so important to choose friends who not only respect themselves and others, but also bring out the best in you.”

Some friends motivate us to grow, stretch, and become better. Others keep us stuck. It’s hard to learn that at a young age — but it’s a seed worth planting. Remember, friends influence choices, sometimes without us even realizing it.

Start by helping your child tune in to how they feel around certain friends.

Do they feel…Respected? Encouraged? Stressed? Pressured to make choices just to ‘fit in’?

It’s easy to get swept up in what others are saying or doing — even when it doesn’t feel right.

Here are a few questions you can ask to spark reflection:

How do you feel about yourself when you’re with this person?
If something went wrong, would they stand with you — or walk away?
Do you feel comfortable to sharing your real opinions?

This is what I know: You’re not choosing their friends — you’re helping them notice how those friendships make them feel. That kind of awareness helps them recognize how they’re being treated, speak up when something doesn’t feel right, and choose friends who make them feel valued, respected and safe.

Until next time…

Kids: Talking Back or Speaking Up?

We say we want our kids to be resilient.
To have confidence.
To take a stand.

But what happens when they talk back, disagree or express frustration to us, our first reaction might be: “That’s disrespectful!”

What if it’s not talking back…what if it’s speaking up?

Since they’re still learning how to express themselves, their words won’t always come out the right way. They might speak louder or sharper than we’d like—not because they’re being disrespectful, but because they’re still figuring out how to speak in a way that gets heard.

If we want our kids to speak up with confidence and share what they feel, we can’t shut them down the moment it’s hard for us to hear.

What if we paused before reacting?
What if we asked ourselves: “Are they being rude… or are they trying to be real?”

Instead of seeing defiance, we see courage.
Instead of shutting it down, we see an opening—for connection, and maybe even conversation.

This is what I know: When we give kids space to speak up—without fear of being shut down—we’re helping them build the very skills we say we value: Confidence. Courage. Character.

Until next time…