Hi Guys,

My daughter is 4 and has a friend – also 4 – who is starting to become to much for me to handle. She is mean, and manipulative. Her mother often expresses her frustration another but it doesn’t change the fact that my daughter cries every time they are together.

The girls go to school together and now during the summer they have dance class and swimming lessons together. I’m glad my daughter has a friend she likes so much and I’m happy to have the company of her Mom but I have to say I’m starting to feel like this is a negative for my daughter. Emmy, my daughter, has other playmates and they are always cheerful and have a great time together, they are , however, boys. Emmy likes to play rough and be part of a group while her friend wants strict attention form Emmy and only Emmy. She loves to tell her – and me – what to do and throws fits if it doesn’t happen. Not bad but enough to get my hackles up.

Yesterday she told my daughter that she couldn’t have a cold drink at her house and meet her grandparents. That made Emmy cry, she then told her that she would tell everyone at her upcoming birthday party that Emmy had cried over the drinks things. I had to tell my daughter not to cry and that her friend “wanted her to cry and she thinks it’s funny.” I mean guys, real mean girls shite. I’m not sure al all what to do about this. My wife and I have armed Emmy with some vocab to help her fire back but I don’t think that is a big help. My daughter is very outgoing and has a lot of friends (ya know for a 4 year old) and has no problem making friends even with strangers on the play ground, “HI do you want to play with me?” she will ask and off she will run to have a great time. But…this issue wither “best friend” is troubling. If her folks can’t control her I feel out of place disciplining their daughter and asking her to apologize etc. I don’t mean anything harsh just requiring that she apologize and the like. She does it but she sooooo doesn’t mean it.

Anyone been through this?