My daughter came home from school one day this week with this announcement: “I have some news I know you want to hear.” 

 Before I could ask what was going on, she told me a pal at her new high school had invited her to hang out at her house. Then, she added, “Her Mom said it was good she was finally making friends.”  She looked at me and smiled. 

I’ve also been on the friend patrol since we recently moved to North Carolina, encouraging my reserved daughter to reach out to other kids. I was concerned about her adjustment to our new community but knew that making the move from the Washington, D.C. area as she entered ninth grade would be easier than waiting until after she had settled in another high school. 

My daughter has a strong network of friends in our old hometown, as do I. She still talks to them via texting on her cell phone and fills me in on what’s happening in their lives. One day I suggested she give them a call sometimes. She groaned, letting me know that was an old-fashioned idea. 

I’ve told my daughter that I’ll need to meet the parents of any friends who become hangout buddies, for all the usual reasons. Her new pal recently moved with her family from Boston and they’re getting to know the area too. When I drop my daughter off, I’ll go in and talk to the other girl’s Mom. Maybe we’ll become friends too.

Related posts:

1. Farewell, my strictly old school friend
2. Adjusting to a new high school
3. Finding a new hairdresser