Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic - Podcast

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic is a mini-podcast for kids about making and keeping friends. Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD, also known as Dr. Friendtastic, is an author and clinical psychologist based in Princeton, NJ, who answers questions from kids about common friendship challenges.

Parents, get the weekly podcast episodes–plus articles for parents–sent directly to your email by joining the Dr. Friendtastic NEWSLETTER for parents.

Listen below or subscribe on your favorite podcast feed!
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How to Submit Your Question About Friendship!

Kids, do you have a question you’d like Dr. Friendtastic to answer? Ask your grown-up to use their smartphone's memo function or an audio app to record your question. Hold the phone close to your mouth to make sure the recording is clear. Say: 1) your first name (or another name) 2) your age 3) a brief question or concern about friendship. (Please don’t mention any friends' names.)

Your grown-up can use this form or email the audio file to DrF@EileenKennedyMoore.com. Dr. Friendtastic will answer as many questions as she can. (If you have a very upsetting or emergency situation, please tell a trusted adult you know.)

Episode 18 – Kai, Age 9: Friends call him bossy

Building great leadership skills

Episode 18 – Kai, Age 9: Friends call him bossy

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 18 – Kai, Age 9: Friends call him bossy
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Do you know a kid who seems bossy? Have you ever been called bossy?
  • What do you think the difference is between being bossy and being a leader?
  • Why do you think it’s a good idea to respond to being called bossy by asking a question, such as “What would you like to do?” How might that question make the other person feel?
  • Why do kids sometimes have trouble compromising?
  • Have you ever given in and done what a friend wanted, even though you thought your idea was better? Why might that sometimes be a good thing to do? Why is it not a good idea to do that all the time?

Episode 17 – Sophie, Age 10: Balancing a best friend and another friend

Appreciating different flavors of friends

Episode 17 – Sophie, Age 10: Balancing a best friend and another friend

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 17 – Sophie, Age 10: Balancing a best friend and another friend
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Have you ever felt torn between two friends? How did you handle it? What would you do in Sophie’s situation?
  • Why is it a good idea to have more than one friend?
  • How does Dr. Friendtastic suggest that you can “soften a no”? Why might you want to do that? (Hink: How might the other person feel?)
  • Have you ever worried about losing a friend if you spent time apart? What does it mean to “Trust that your friendship is strong enough to handle a bit of time apart”? Why is this important for a friendship?

Episode 16 – Sam, Age 13: Joining a new group of friends

Understanding the difference between fitting in and belonging

Episode 16 – Sam, Age 13: Joining a new group of friends

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 16 – Sam, Age 13: Joining a new group of friends
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • What are some ways that friendship groups can be more complicated than individual friendships?
  • Have you ever tried to change friendship groups? Why did you want to make the change? How did it go?
  • Why does Dr. Friendtastic recommend belonging to more than one friendship group?
  • Why do you think kids sometimes try to hide or change something about themselves to fit in? How is that different from belonging?

Episode 15 – Evie, Age 9: What is a close friend?

Valuing close friends and other friends

Episode 15 – Evie, Age 9: What is a close friend?

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 15 - Evie, Age 9: What is a close friend?
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Why do you think it’s important to enjoy casual friends as well as close friends?
  • Can you think of someone who is not a close friend but still makes your life more enjoyable? Who is that, and how do they add to your life?
  • Can you think of someone who started out as a casual friend and became a close friend of yours over time? How did that happen?
  • How about the reverse? Have you ever known someone who used to be a close friend of yours, and then you grew apart? What happened?
  • What do you think Dr. Friendtastic meant when she said, “The best way to get closeness is to give it”?

Episode 14 – Rowan, Age 12: Feels guilty, wants to make up with a friend

How to apologize well

Episode 14 – Rowan, Age 12: Feels guilty, wants to make up with a friend

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 14 – Rowan, Age 12: Feels guilty, wants to make up with a friend
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Have you ever felt guilty about something you did (or didn’t do) to a friend? How did you handle that? Were you able to make up with the friend?
  • Why do you think some kids have a hard time apologizing? How hard or easy is it for you to apologize?
  • Think about a time that someone apologized to you. Do you think they were genuinely sorry? How could you tell?
  • Dr. Friendtastic says that guilt can be a useful emotion, even though it’s uncomfortable. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Episode 13 – Mara, Age 9: Friend doesn’t want her to have other friends

Dealing with an Octopus Friend

Episode 13 – Mara, Age 9: Friend doesn’t want her to have other friends

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 13 – Mara, Age 9: Friend doesn’t want her to have other friends
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Have you ever had an Octopus friend, someone who wanted to keep you all to themselves? How did you handle it?
  • Why do you think trying to hold on tightly to a friend because you’re scared of losing them makes it more likely that you’ll lose them?
  • Have you ever had a friendship where you liked the other person more than they liked you? How did you feel? What did you do?
  • Having more than one friend can be tricky. How do you decide which friend(s) to play with and when?

Episode 12 – Adrian, Age 8: Kid bullies him at recess

Knowing when to get adult help

Episode 12 – Adrian, Age 8: Kid bullies him at recess

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 12 – Adrian, Age 8: Kid bullies him at recess
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • What is the difference between bullying and ordinary meanness? Why does this matter? How would you respond to these situations differently?
  • If someone is not listening when you ask them to stop, why does it make sense to stop trying to make them change what they’re doing and instead focus on taking care of yourself?
  • How could standing near an adult or staying near friends make you less likely to get picked on?
  • What do you think is likely to happen if you try to get even with someone who was mean to you?
  • Why do you think some kids are mean to other kids?
  • Have you ever been bullied?

Episode 11 – Violet, age 8: Kids say mean things about a friend’s skin color

Speaking up for a friend

Episode 11 – Violet, age 8: Kids say mean things about a friend’s skin color

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 11 – Violet, age 8: Kids say mean things about a friend’s skin color
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Why do you think it’s important to speak up if you hear someone say something mean about your friend? What would you do if you heard someone say something mean about a kid you don’t know well? What would you do if the mean comments were about a kid you know but don’t like?
  • What, if anything, have you learned at school about race and racism? What have you learned about those topics from adult family members?
  • Do you think it matters whether someone said a racist comment on purpose, trying to be hurtful, versus saying it without realizing the comment is hurtful? Why or why not?
  • How do you know when it’s important to talk to an adult about mean or racist comments versus handling the situation yourself?

Episode 10 – Isaac, Age 7.5: Friend is disrespectful

Speaking up for yourself in kind ways

Episode 10 – Isaac, Age 7.5: Friend is disrespectful

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 10 – Isaac, Age 7.5: Friend is disrespectful
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. How do you know when your friend’s mistake is something you need to forgive or work through and when it means the end of your friendship?
  • Think of a time when you needed to explain to a friend what you were thinking or feeling. What did you say? How did the friend react?
  • Why are “I” statements a powerful way to deal with friendship problems? What makes them more effective than a “You” statement? (Hint: How do you think a friend would respond if you talked about a problem by saying “I want…” versus “You always…”?)
  • Why do you think it’s sometimes hard for kids to tell friends about what they think, feel, or want? How could NOT telling friends about your thoughts and feelings hurt a friendship?
  • Can you think of a situation when NOT telling a friend what you think or feel might be the kind thing to do? For example, if you don’t like your friend’s haircut or outfit, do you need to tell your friend or is it better to keep that opinion to yourself?

Episode 9 – Ava, Age 9: Being told she can’t play

Friendliness in public versus private settings

Episode 9 – Ava, Age 9: Being told she can’t play

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 9 – Ava, Age 9: Being told she can’t play
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Why do you think Ava’s friends wanted to play only with each other? Why does Dr. Friendtastic think it matters whether they are in a private or public setting?
  • Have you ever had someone tell you that you couldn’t play? What did you do?
  • What do you think of the rule: “You can’t say anyone can’t play”? Do you think it would help kids be kinder and include others? Why or why not?
  • Are there any situations where you think it’s okay not to include someone? What would you do if a kid was being mean or trying to wreck your game?

Submit a Question for Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic

This contact form is ONLY FOR ADULTS to submit their child’s recorded question about friendship for the podcast.

Not every question submitted will be featured on the podcast, but I do listen to all of them. I love hearing what’s on kids’ minds! Questions selected for the podcast will be clear recordings and touch on issues that are useful for many kids. Unfortunately, I can’t answer questions privately, for individual people.

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Adult Status*
Notification prefences
Use your smartphone's memo function or an audio app to record your child's question. Please hold your phone close to your child’s mouth and have your child state 1) their FIRST NAME 2) their AGE, 3) a BRIEF QUESTION about friendship. (Please do not include friends’ names in the question.) Use the Choose File button below to upload the audio recording of your kid’s question.
Accepted file types: mp3, m4a, wav, Max. file size: 500 MB.

By submitting a recording of your child’s question, you are granting permission for it to be used in whole or in part on the Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic podcast and related media.

This podcast and everything on DrFriendtastic.com are for educational purposes only. They do not constitute and cannot replace psychotherapy or other psychological services.