Positive Education
Lynda Hewitt
Kids Deal With Toxic Friends Too...Here's What Parents Should Do - and Not Do
One of the most common issues dealt with in schools is friendship issues between students, whether these occur at the school itself or it has played out on social media outside of school hours but the repercussions affects the wellbeing and/or behaviour of students whilst in school. Thankfully, in most cases, the students are able to resolve issues with limited input from staff and in the meantime develop strategies and the resilience to cope with conflict. These are important skills to take through to adulthood.
At some point, most adults have witnessed or experienced a toxic relationship where it is impossible to resolve any issues and in many cases it may not even have been recognised as being toxic initially. The red flags were not known and therefore missed. Through experience and a greater understanding we become better at dealing with these kinds of relationships.
Children are never too young to be taught how to recognise the signs of a toxic relationship, how to develop the necessary skills to manage one, whether it be with be a peer or an adult in their lives, and where they can go for support. Much of their learning can happen through how a responsible adult in their lives role models what to do. The article linked below was posted in the HuffPost last year, it is a recommended read, both interesting and informative, for parents, guardians or indeed anyone working with young people to know what to do and also, as importantly, what not to do in these situations.