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Episode 35 – Ryan, Age 11: Peers put down his interests

Figuring out whose opinion matters to you

Episode 35 – Ryan, Age 11: Peers put down his interests

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic

Episode 35 – Ryan, Age 11: Peers put down his interests

00:00 / 5:44

Think About it Questions

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Whose opinion matters to you? In other words, who are the special people in your life that you want to think well of you? (Hint: These are people who care about you!)
Have you ever been in a situation like Ryan, where someone said something mean about your efforts? What did they say? Why do you think they said that? How did you respond?
Ryan has been thinking about his classmate’s mean comments for months. What does Dr. Friendtastic mean when she tells him, “Don’t give this kid that much power?”
Why do you think it’s not worth arguing or trying to defend yourself when someone whose opinion doesn’t matter to you says something mean?
What would you say to comfort a friend who got booed or heard mean comments about their efforts?
Dr. Friendtastic says, “You can’t please everyone.” She can’t, either! Why is it NOT a good idea to try to please everyone?

Episode 29 – Abby, Age 9: Dealing with Teasing

How to tell the difference between friendly and unfriendly teasing

Episode 29 – Abby, Age 9: Dealing with Teasing

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic

Episode 29 – Abby, Age 9: Dealing with Teasing

00:00 / 6:27

Think About it Questions

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Do you have strong feelings about bananas? Why or why not? (OK, that question doesn’t have anything to do with friendship, but it’s fun to think about!)
What are some reasons why kids tease?
Can you think of a time that someone teased you in a friendly way? How could you tell it was friendly rather than mean teasing?
Have you ever been the target of mean teasing? What happened? How did you respond?
Have you ever teased someone in what you thought was a fun and friendly way but the other kid got upset? What happened? Why do you think that kid was bothered by what you said? What did you do to help the other kid feel better?
Why is it important to tell a friend if their teasing bothers you? What could happen to your friendship if you don’t say anything about that?
Dr. Friendtastic gave lots of examples of neutral or boring responses to teasing. Why might those work better than yelling at the teaser? Which of those comments would you feel comfortable saying if you were teased?

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

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

00:00 / 4:13

Think About it Questions

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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 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

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

00:00 / 4:54

Think About it Questions

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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 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

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

00:00 / 3:38

Think About it Questions

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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?

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 a first 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 possible. (If you have a very upsetting or emergency situation, please tell a trusted adult you know.)