Hi, has anyone else experienced having a good friend who's children are just nitemares? And how have they dealt with it?
My LO is just 4 and an only child, she is (honestly!!) very gentle and loves being social. However my friends 3 kids have become gradually worse in their behaviour. They have always been rough but in recent months S has had her hand slammed in a door twice, she was told to put her hand there and then they slammed the door on her. This was once witnessed but we couldn't get there in time. She was nearly pushed down the stairs tho I managed to stop that one, and a couple of weeks ago she sustained bruised ribs from being pushed off a bed.
I have now made the decision to stop taking S there. I have had enough and she really doesn't understand that friends don't do that. She thinks they are being nice to her!
The problem is we have very different parenting styles. Had S done any of these things she would have been made to apologise and punished. I would have been mortified. My friend has a policy of "let them fight it out amongst themselves" and has been very blasé about the whole thing. Not once have they been made to apologise. I have no right to criticise her parenting style as it works for her and with 3 kids maybe it is a good policy?!
Has anyone else managed to retain a friendship when you have such different views on parenting? How have you dealt with it?
Things will be a lot easier when school starts again as I can keep S away without being questioned. If I say anything now I will be most likely accused of coddling S! But I don't agree she needs to be injured all the time to "toughen up"