Childhood friendships are as special as they are a necessary part of growing up. While some of our children will maintain these friendships into adulthood, many will not. Kids move away or they find other friends with more current interests and grow apart. Whatever form a childhood friendship is taking, know that these relationships are vital to your child’s well-being and growth as a human being. A child who is a truly bad influence on your child will need to be shunned, as painful as that may seem to your child at the time. I find that if you adequately explain that the child in question isn’t very “nice” or has actually hurt or emotionally abused your child; this can be sufficient reason for your child to understand the situation without too much trauma.

If they resist your urging to make new friends or avoid the horrid one, you will probably need to be tolerant until your child digests the circumstances and moves on in her own time. This helps your child learn to differentiate between people they want to spend time with, those they don’t and to make their own choices. http://holidaysnuggie.com/2016/01/12/childhood-friendships-are-important-but-a-do-or-die-affair/