Friendship Forever...

Ana has been having a bit of trouble at school lately... with one of those girls.  The kind that Ana claims is her "best friend", but every word that comes out of her mouth about the girl screams BULLY.  So I was talking to some moms of her other friends about the situation, and how I haven't been able to get through to Ana that this girl is not a good friend.  And that is how I came to find out that she was not the only one being affected by this girl.

My friend Susie, who has twin girls that are Ana's age, is such a go-getter.  Right away her wheels start turning, "We need to teach our girls how to be good friends and not let others make decisions for them".  And so evolved the "Friendship Forever" class.  We decided to meet one day a week after school to help our girls build their self confidence and friendship skills.  And it has been so good for Ana!  I can already see a difference in her ability to recognize when someone is being a true friend and what to do when someone is not being nice to others.  It's funny how I have told her these kinds of things a hundred times, but when it comes from another mom that she respects, she finally listens.  I'm so grateful for friends that are willing to step in and help me with a problem that I can't resolve on my own.  "Friendship Forever" was exactly what I needed.

Here are the girls decorating their special friendship notebooks.  Susie had them put mirrors in the middle (so that when they looked at it they would see themselves) with lines extending out to each of their friends, family members and Heavenly Father. It seems like such an elementary exercise, but for Ana, it was exactly what she needed to recognize that she had other friends and people that love her that she can turn to when she is having a hard time. We have already used it on a few occasions when she has come home crying about how someone was mean to her, and it has really helped...

  They have been using their notebooks to write about things that they might have a hard time talking about.  It is such a great thing for Ana because she really loves to write, and I have learned a lot about how she really feels by reading her notebook.

Cute girls, learning how to be good friends forever...