Hello, I wonder if anyone has any advice? Quick(ish!) synopsis, is that my DD is in reception class at school. Her 'best friend' is a little girl who lives very close to us. I say best friend in the sense that my DD is not that confident and seems to have attached herself very closely to this other little girl - I'll call her B. This would be fine, except that I think that B is very, very difficult. We have known her for a couple of years now, and I have always been unsure how to deal with her. She is very loud, bossy, sometimes (actually often) rude to me and often really quite cruel to my DD.
I hate to say that about a five year old but I have thought long and hard and can't think of any other way to put it. I don't know any other child I would say this about and also would not want to imply that my DD is a paragon of virtue. I think there are certain reasons why B is like this, which I won't go into here, but essentially and I hope this doesn't sound judgmental I think it's partly about a lack of discipline and boundary setting at home.
Anyway, as far as I can work out my DD doesn't really seem to play with anyone else, and I am really worried that she is learning a very dodgy model of friendship by being so close to B who as I say often reduces my DD to tears simply by being quite horrible.
What should/can I do? I was wondering about speaking to her teacher and asking who else she plays with. Perhaps I could try and cultivate some other friendships (although I work full time so play dates etc a bloody nightmare)? I am aware that her teacher has had problems with B too, and has spoken to her mother (who to complicate things further, I would now count as a friend). Am I worrying too much? Any thoughts really welcome!