Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic - Podcast

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic is a weekly, 5-minute 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. As my gift to you for signing up, you'll get 3 free ebooks for parents:

  • When Your Child...Says, "Nobody Likes Me!"
  • When Your Child...Cries Easily
  • When Your Child...Gets Bullied
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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 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?

Episode 8 – Blake, Age 11: Excluded by friends

On the edge of a friendship group?

Episode 8 – Blake, Age 11: Excluded by friends

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 8 – Blake, Age 11: Excluded by friends
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Have you ever felt left out of your group of friends? What happened? How did you handle it?
  • What are some unhurtful reasons why kids might get together with some of their friends in a group but not all of them?
  • Excluding just one kid from a group get-together is likely to hurt that kid’s feelings. If you like that kid, what are some ways you could help that kid feel less hurt? If you don’t like that kid, what are some kinder ways to handle that?
  • Why do you think it’s not a good idea to yell at your friends if they get together without you?
  • What are some fun ideas of things you could invite a group of friends to do with you?

Episode 7 – Emma, Age 11: Friend is a poor sport

Choosing how to respond to a frustrating friend

Episode 7 – Emma, Age 11: Friend is a poor sport

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 7 – Emma, Age 11: Friend is a poor sport
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Why do you think kids sometimes have trouble handling winning and losing? What have you found useful to comfort yourself when you lose a game?
  • Have you ever had the experience of being the “worst” player in a game? How did you feel? What did you do?
  • Do you have a friend who has a habit you find annoying? How have you handled that?
  • Has anyone ever told you that something you do is annoying or frustrating? What happened? How did you respond?
  • Why do you think a one-on-one conversation about a problem is likely to go better than a whole group confronting someone about what they’re doing wrong?

Episode 6 – Jayden, Age 9: Wondering why kids bully

Empathy blind spots

Episode 6 – Jayden, Age 9: Wondering why kids bully

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 6 – Jayden, Age 9: Wondering why kids bully
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Have you ever been bullied or seen someone get bullied? Has anyone ever accused you of bullying them? What happened?
  • There are lots of different kinds of bullying: physical (such as hitting or kicking), verbal (such as yelling at someone or calling them mean names), relational (such as excluding someone or spreading rumors about them), and cyberbullying (putting mean comments or photos online). Which do you things is worst and why?
  • Why do you think kids often don’t speak up when they see bullying? Why do they sometimes not want to tell an adult about bullying?
  • Sometimes friends get mad at each other and say or do mean things. Do you think that’s bullying? How can you tell the difference between an argument and bullying?
  • Does your school do anything to try to stop bullying? Do you think those efforts are helpful? Why or why not?

Episode 5 – Edith, Age 8: Friend doesn’t do what I want

Watch out for “shoulds”

Episode 5 – Edith, Age 8: Friend doesn’t do what I want

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 5 – Edith, Age 8: Friend doesn’t do what I want
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • What is the “danger of shoulds”? How can “shoulds” hurt a friendship?
  • Can you think of a time when a friend did something you didn’t like, but you were able to accept it and move on? Why is that a useful thing to be able to do?
  • Have you ever had a friend get mad at you because you did something they didn’t like? How did you and your friend handle it?
  • Sometimes it’s important just to accept it when a friend doesn’t do what we want, and sometimes it’s important to talk to the friend about what happened and explain what you want from now on and why it matters to you. How can you tell when to accept and when to speak up?

Episode 4 – Thomas, Age 13: One friend feels left out

Dealing with a friendship threesome

Episode 4 – Thomas, Age 13: One friend feels left out

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 4 – Thomas, Age 13: One friend feels left out
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Why do you think it might be easier to have a group of four friends rather than three friends?
  • Have you ever felt left out of a small group? How did you handle it?
  • If you thought two of your friends were excluding you, you’d probably feel hurt and angry. You might be tempted to yell at your friends and call them mean. Why is that not a smart or kind thing to do? How would your friends be likely to respond if you did that?
  • Which do you like best: getting together with just one friend or a group of friends? Why?

Episode 3 – Noelle, age 10: Kid tries to wreck game

Be curious about what others think or want

Episode 3 – Noelle, age 10: Kid tries to wreck game

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 3 – Noelle, age 10: Kid tries to wreck game
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Why is it usually important to try to get along with people, even if you don’t like them?
  • Some kids think it’s funny if other kids get mad and yell at them. What do you think is the best way to deal with these kids?
  • Trying to annoy kids is not a good way to join a game. What’s a friendlier way to join in?
  • How do you decide when to go to a teacher or other adult about a problem with another kid and when to try to handle it yourself?

Episode 2 – Brayden, Age 12: Friendship with brother

What does it mean to be a good friend?

Episode 2 – Brayden, Age 12: Friendship with brother

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 2 - Brayden, Age 12: Friendship with brother
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Why do you think it’s sometimes hard for brothers and sisters to get along?
  • Do you think it’s easier to be an oldest, middle, or youngest sibling (sibling means brother or sister)? Why?
  • If you have a brother or sister, what fun things do you like to do together?
  • Do you have a close friendship with someone who isn’t a sibling but feels like a brother or sister (maybe a cousin or friend)? What makes that relationship so close?

Episode 1 – Naomi, Age 7: Friendship ends over small thing

Different points of view

Episode 1 – Naomi, Age 7: Friendship ends over small thing

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic
Episode 1 – Naomi, Age 7: Friendship ends over small thing
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Think About it Questions
Read Transcript
  • Why do you think kids sometimes say, "I don't want to be your friend anymore!"?
  • What can you do if a friend is mad at you?
  • How do you handle it when you feel mad at a friend?
  • Why is it sometimes hard for kids to apologize (say they're sorry)? Have you ever apologized to a friend?
  • Have you ever made up with a friend after an argument? How did you do that? What are some good ways to make up with a friend?
 

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.