DD2 & all her friends are going through a rough patch. *****iness & nastiness is never ending. One minute they're best friends, the next they don't want to speak, are leaving other kids out of the group & being plain nasty.
It's only when there are more than 2. DD1 & her friends did the same thing at the same age. I remember it happening back when I was around the same age.

But none of the other parents involved have had a child this age before. And I personally think they are taking it on more than they need too. Yes we need to teach them to include everyone, yes they shouldn't say or do nasty things, but other than isolate your child, I think you just have to teach them how to deal with it & deal with the things they are doing wrong. We are in a tiny community & the kids can't really avoid each other, because there aren't many the same age.

I don't know, am I wrong? Should I be letting 8 year old *****iness rule my life & isolate my children? Or should I just use it to teach DD the signs of someone not being fair & to not go along with that person at that time?

DD is pretty oblivious anyway. She doesn't really get that its happening. She's usually in the middle, coz 2 friends are fighting OVER her. 'Come with me', 'No, come with me' & all she's seeing is them wanting to play with her, not that they are being nasty to each other.

She's been too involved though... taking on one friends advice (her cousin) to rub the other friends shoes in the mud... And she got in trouble & I told her she'd be buying said friend a new pair of shoes.

The parents are just too involved for me. I get a text from SIL that cousin DID NOT tell DD to put the shoes in the mud & that she'd seen DD with them & told her to clean them... yet didn't let me know what was going on?

Now the friends mother (who is one of my closest friends in town) hasn't replied to my text basically telling her she's stressing too much over it & that the best we can do is teach our kids that what ever is going on AT THAT TIME is not acceptable & how they can behave better/deal with the situation. I can't control how another person deals with her child etc...

This person was an only child, who didn't have many friends growing up & this is her oldest of 2 DD's. So she's more OTT about it than I am. But I'm wondering just how much. To me its not worth losing a good friendship over. But I think she might be leaning that way.

Am I as seriously wrong about the situation as she thinks I am? Should I be over reacting & banning DD from socialising to avoid the drama they carry on with? Maybe other kids don't do it??