Am a regular but name-changing for this one. Would really just appreciate your input, or really if you think we are handling this well to prevent future problems.
We live on a small estate, where lots of the kids play out together, all safely, parents supervising etc etc. We get on very well with our neighbours, its pretty "Neighbours" like in many respects although we aren't all in and out of each others places all the time, but we do look out for each other's children, lend a cup of sugar , that type of thing. Its a nice place to be. The problem is dd, who as she grows up (she's 10) is getting less and less like the neighbourhood girls. They're all into Bratz, boys, make-up, pop music...and dd just isn't. She has gradually stopped going out to play with them, although from time to time will come into the shared green with me and ds and play football etc. She always says hi to the girls but just doesn't really want to play. I have said that she needs to keep friendly, as I worry as they get older she could be ostracised or worse. Does this make sense? One girl already whispers to the others as dd goes by. I don't want them thinking we think we're too good to associate with them (we are also a bit "posher" than them, dh has a quite high-powered job, and my friend teases us sometimes that we're too good for the estate). We love living here, we aren't snobs, dd certainly isn't. She just doesn't particularly like them. I always make sure we chat to them as we go by, and I encourage dd to play out now and then, and apart from the one girl this seems to be fine in keeping the girls friendly.
Do you think I'm worrying unneccesarily.
Sorry its long and not very well written. Would just appreciate your ideas/opinions.