Facing Unfinished Friendship Business When Your Child Hits Social Snags

Your child’s social life can stir up every unresolved playground scar you’re still carrying. Licensed clinical social worker and EMDR therapist Beth Segaloff joins "Dear Nina" to talk about separating our past (and present) friendship baggage from our kids’ current experiences. We discuss how kids' realities are so different today and why that small pause before jumping in to “fix” everything is parenting gold.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Why your kid’s friendship bumps feel personal--how to tell what feelings belong to you versus your child.
• The 2025 friendship landscape: 24/7 phones, "Snap Maps," and over-scheduled lives
• The space between reacting and responding--how a moment of silence can change the whole conversation (and other strategies for when your child is struggling with friendships).
• Why forcing invitations or calling another parent for a favor often backfires, and what true support looks like instead.
• Modeling adult friendships: intentional intimacy vs. accidental exclusion

MEET BETH SEGALOFF

Beth Segaloff is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, EMDR therapist, yoga instructor, and Reiki healer dedicated to holistic healing and transformation. As founder of Tree of Life Center in Fairfield, CT, she offers in-person and virtual support for grief, trauma, and life transitions. Through programs like Living Fully with Grief and Life School 360, Beth empowers clients to move from pain and loss toward love, meaning, and purpose. Find Beth on Instagram at @tree.of.life.center.

 

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Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!