Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: Moved to Gladstone, MO in June 2022 and back to Minnesota in September 2022
2,072 posts, read 5,065,208 times
Reputation: 886
Well find some kids with nice parents in your neighborhood. When I lived in Annandale,mn as a kid I got along with are neighbors really well, and we used to sleep over a lot at each others houses and would bike around town and such, and we always had a blast.
Have you tried talking to their parents at all? What kind of neighborhood do you live in? Trailer Park? or a more regular neighborhood with regular houses?
Well, age is a big reason, the 10 year old isn't going to want to play with a 5 year old. Have you talked to the parents, what have they said? Have you invited them over to your house? Not all parents are comfortable with their kids going to someone's house that they don't know.
Find different friends. I wouldn't want a 10 year old playing with a 5 year old either. 6 years old OK. Try and take him to the local park as often as you can and he can meet up and play with other kids there. Maybe suggest meeting up at the park with some other moms and kids. Parks are a nice neutral ground.
There will be more kids at some point to play with.
If you are inviting the kids to your home without their parents, and they aren't interested, then just move on, at least for another year or two. At those ages, the perceived age gap can be huge but closes pretty quickly. The kids might not be interested now, but that doesn't mean they won't be later.
I was feeling the same for my kids...so I decided to start inviting the neighborhood kids to stuff. Last week I had them over for Easter cookie decorating. Maybe you could try something like that? It gives them a chance to get to know you all and it creates an opportunity for your child. And if you really want to get on the good side of the parents tell them they don't have to stay and that you would be happy to watch the kids for an hour while they decorate or make X or bake X or play with X.
Good luck!
It is really tough when you live in a neighborhood without a lot of kids. I find in the summer the kids tend to all play together regardless of age on the street (we live on a very quite street) which is great.
But other then that, we don't set up playdates. I would say as others have, find different friends for him. Is he in kindergarten or preschool? I emailed the parents of every boy in my son's class when we moved to a new area and asked for playdates. It is still a struggle, but I think I am more worried than my son!
Kids find their own way into friendships. If left alone, the younger of the two, and yours will likely find their way. Allow him to play outside where he can be seen and sooner or later that 6 year old will end up in your yard, or the other way around.
Kids find their own way into friendships. If left alone, the younger of the two, and yours will likely find their way. Allow him to play outside where he can be seen and sooner or later that 6 year old will end up in your yard, or the other way around.
So true! That 10 year old isn't going to want to play with that 6 year old for much longer! When that happens, the 6 year old will seek out your son if he's visible.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
