You never realise how weird your friends are until you start describing them to someone else

One of the many things the children, particularly Lucy, are having to learn, and I'm trying so hard to teach them, is the important difference between being friendly and having friends.  Now, I'm a bad example, as I am generally unfriendly to people I don't know, kind to people I like and positively rude to people I don't like.  Simon, on the other hand, is generally friendly to everyone, so much so that people don't realise when he doesn't like them.  

Lucy is going to have to learn all these super social skills for herself.  Where will she draw the line?  I've suggested to both girls that people who hurt you physically have no place in your friendship group, and actually you don't need to even be nice to them.  If someone hit me on the head with a heavy object for no reason other than I was standing on the carpet in a funny way, I wouldn't have anything more to do with them and neither should my children.  But what about the girls who don't want to play, who whisper, giggle and point?  Are they just a normal part of growing up, or should we do something about them?

I have no idea.  My instinct is that some people just aren't very kind, but the social reformer in me says that we should try to help these girls to be pleasant individuals.  I don't want Lucy to be sad at school, but equally I don't want to be hovering over her all the time, trying to make sure that she is happy.  I had a terrible time at school, absolutely loathed it, and I don't want her to feel the same way.  We're trying having friends round to tea, which is lovely and brilliant, as the girls run off to Lucy's bedroom and get on with it, and difficult and painful when they both come downstairs in their pants, or isolate poor old Hattie.  I'm going to end up with multiple friends round at this rate.  The wine bill will soar. 

In exciting SENCO course news, I have now read 12 articles on dysgraphia, handwriting readiness and boys learning in the Early Years, and completed my first draft of the literature review.  I've now got to write an outline by the 5th of February, and then I've got to get on with my intervention and the essay.  So not much.