The Green Eyed Monster

My third-grade daughter made a new friend last school year, and she gladly told me all of Caroline’s positive attributes: she was an advanced competitive gymnast, a straight-A student, was very pretty, and was nice to everybody, so she had tons of friends.

But in a painfully honest moment later in the year, she said, “Mom, sometimes it’s hard to be Caroline’s friend.” When I pressed for a reason why, she said, “She’s just so…perfect.” Sweetheart, meet envy.

I was glad that my child was honest about what she was feeling, because it gave us an opportunity to give it a name (envy/jealousy), and talk about 4 Ways to Overcome Envy and Jealousy.  And since even the most secure child will struggle from time to time when faced with a talented or extraordinary peer, use our Jealousy TALK Conversation Starters to teach them how to overcome jealousy and learn to be happy for others in their successes.