What to do if you want to be friends with everyone in the world, but for adults this idea seems not very correct?
“Mom forbade me to be friends with a girl that I like. She says her parents are criminals. I feel sorry for her, she’s not to blame!
Nika, 11 years old
Anna Skavitina, children’s analyst
“Nika, it’s great and nice that you are a sensitive and understanding girl. Open, attentive to what is happening. Your mother first of all wants to protect you from dubious acquaintances that can be dangerous for you. But she chose the simplest option – she forbade communication. This decision is unpleasant for you and you want to do it differently. But children have to trust their parents, because parents are responsible for them.
I also feel very sorry for the girl with whom no one is friends, because her parents cause rejection and a sense of danger in the parents of other children. Nika, you can tell this girl like this: I would like to be friends with you, I like you, but my mother forbids it. So she will know that she is not alone, even if you do not communicate with her. It seems to me that it will be easier for you if you ask your mother to explain what she means when she says “her parents are criminals.” And at the same time explain: if the parents of that girl do something bad, does this necessarily mean that the girl is doing the same thing? When you understand this better, it will be easier for you. In any case, it’s not your fault that the girl becomes sad because of your mother’s ban. The girl is lonely not because of you, it’s not your choice.”