We like to believe that all children are born with the ability to make friends. It’s easy, right? You are nice to people and they are nice back — eventually, you become besties and end up in each other’s wedding photos. It’s not that simple though. Learning how to be a good friend not only takes time to master, but it also changes at different stages of life. What works at age three doesn’t always do the trick at 33, and it seems like middle school is its own world when it comes to friendship.
Reading books about friendship is a wonderful tool for parents and children, because it gives everyone time to talk about tough or perhaps lovely events happening in your own lives. More than that, books bring up situations before they happen, provide friendships to aspire to, and allow children and parents to give thought to how they may handle challenging situations.