The Wisdom of Her 5 Years

Tonight Angelina talked to me about friendships as she was describing her day at school with various kids. She named a few kids she played with and said,

"I like ____, and ____, and ____, but they're not my BEST friends. That's because it's not nice to make someone your BEST friend."


I interject "Why not? Don't you want to have a close friend?"

Her answer:
" Yes, but if only one person is your best friend, the other person who's not the best friend feels bad and left out. Then what if the two friends fight? Then the other friends feel bad too. No, it's better to be friends with everyone, then everyone can be happy and have love. Because I have love. Because I am a Lovable Me.*"

(*We've been reading the series of Lovable Me books.)

While there's something to be said for having 1-2 close friends, and I hope she finds that over time, I must admit I like that my child is more inclusive than exclusive. That she wants to love everyone, and make sure everyone feels loved. That everyone she meets is a potential friend, and that everyone should feel welcome in her world.