In fact, these kinds of situations are golden opportunities for teaching your child self-reliance.
“Long-term, you want them to manage these interactions for themselves,” McVittie says. “If we keep rescuing our kids, our kids are not going to be able to do it for themselves.”
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Of course, this does not apply if your child is in danger. If another kid is about to push yours off the top of the slide, yell, run over, do whatever is necessary to stop an accident before it happens.
But otherwise, take a moment to brainstorm a solution with your child. Maybe he wants his toy back right now. Or perhaps he only wants the assurance that the other child is “borrowing” it and will return it in a few minutes. Either way, help your child figure out what he would like to say, and then get him to say it to the other kid, with you shadowing him if that helps.
“Kids respond to other kids really well,” McVittie says.
So, is it ever advisable to approach another parent, particularly a stranger, about their child’s behavior?
