What do you do when you know a child is in trouble (caused by either himself or others), but it’s not your child? How do you know when to get involved in other kids’ problems? This episode starts with a story from Abby about a text from a mom of a child in her son’s class. The poor mom was at her wits’ end dealing with her son and another child who was bullying him. She asked Abby to ask her son for his account of what happened at school that day. When Abby’s son’s story matched her son’s, she texted, “Will you email administration?” That was the point in the conversation when Abby wondered if she was in too deep.
It’s hard not to step in when there’s drama going on between kids, but when your child isn’t directly involved, do you have a right? In this episode, we talk about questions moms can ask themselves before they get involved. If you find yourself in this kind of situation with your kids’ friends or classmates, these questions can serve as a checklist for your motives and whether your involvement is needed.
We also talk about parents’ obligation to protect one another’s kids. Don’t we all want to be part of a community where we know other adults care about our children and their well-being? Still, we see parents get defensive and angry when others tell them their kids are doing something wrong or are endangered. It can be scary to step in for fear of being told to butt out. We hope this conversation will give you good tools to be an ally but not a meddler and know when to get involved in other kids’ problems.
Articles We Mentioned
How Involved Should You Get in Another Kid’s Drama?
The Mom Mafia
If your child were in trouble—drinking, cheating, bullying, or being bullied—how involved would you want other moms to get?
