Coffee morning catch-up - June 26th
Date: Friday 26th June 2026
Topic: Friendships, Boundaries & Belonging
Thank you to everyone who joined our June virtual coffee morning. It was a warm and engaging discussion, with parents and carers sharing thoughtful experiences, practical ideas, and reflections on how friendships shape children’s confidence, wellbeing, and sense of identity.
For those who were unable to attend, below is an overview of the key themes, discussions, and strategies shared during the session.
Welcome and introduction
We began by reflecting on last month’s session, Supporting Children Through Exam & Assessment Stress, before introducing today’s focus: Friendships, Boundaries & Belonging.
We recognised that friendships play a significant role in children’s emotional wellbeing, confidence, and personal development. Positive friendships can provide joy, encouragement, and security, while friendship challenges can sometimes be one of the biggest sources of worry during childhood and adolescence.
Key message shared:
“Children thrive when they feel safe, accepted, and connected.”
Understanding friendships and social connection
We explored the important role friendships play in helping children develop emotionally and socially.
Key ideas discussed:
• Friendships help shape children’s confidence, identity, and sense of belonging.
• Positive friendships provide emotional safety, encouragement, and resilience.
• Friendship difficulties can have a significant impact on self-esteem and wellbeing.
• Some children naturally find friendships easier to form than others.
• Social experiences may look different for neurodiverse children or those with additional needs.
Parents reflected on how friendships have changed over the years, particularly with the influence of technology and social media.
Key message:
“Friendships help shape how children see themselves and the world around them.”
Recognising healthy and unhealthy friendship dynamics
This part of the session focused on helping children understand what healthy friendships look and feel like.
Strategies shared:
• Talk regularly about what makes a friendship feel positive and supportive.
• Encourage children to notice how their friendships make them feel emotionally.
• Help children recognise behaviours such as kindness, trust, respect, and mutual support.
• Discuss signs of unhealthy friendships, including pressure, exclusion, controlling behaviour, or unkindness.
• Remind children that trusted adults are always available to help if friendships become difficult.
Parents discussed how unhealthy friendship patterns are not always obvious and may happen both online and offline.
Key message:
“Healthy friendships should feel safe, respectful, and balanced.”
Supporting healthy boundaries
We explored why boundaries are an important part of healthy relationships.
Strategies discussed:
• Model respectful boundaries within family relationships.
• Teach children that it is okay to say “no” politely and confidently.
• Encourage children to recognise and communicate their own comfort levels.
• Reinforce that disagreement or spending time apart does not mean a friendship has failed.
• Help children understand the importance of respecting other people’s boundaries as well.
Parents reflected on how difficult boundary-setting can sometimes feel, particularly for children who worry about upsetting others or being left out.
Key message:
“Boundaries help children feel emotionally safe and respected.”
Encouraging open communication
We discussed how parents and carers can create opportunities for honest conversations about friendships.
Key approaches:
• Create calm moments to talk without pressure.
• Listen with curiosity rather than rushing to solve the problem.
• Validate children’s feelings, even if the issue seems small from an adult perspective.
• Avoid dismissing friendship worries as “just drama.”
• Encourage children to think through possible solutions while knowing support is always available.
Parents recognised that children are often more willing to talk when they feel heard rather than judged.
Key message:
“Children are more likely to open up when they feel listened to, not judged.”
Belonging, identity and inclusion
This part of the session explored how feeling accepted supports children’s emotional wellbeing.
Key points discussed:
• A strong sense of belonging helps children feel secure, valued, and confident.
• Children may sometimes feel excluded because of differences in interests, communication styles, identity, or experiences.
• Feeling accepted at home, school, and within friendship groups builds resilience.
• Every child benefits from environments where they feel safe to be themselves.
Parents discussed celebrating individuality and encouraging children to find communities where they feel comfortable and included.
Key message:
“A sense of belonging helps children feel secure, valued, and confident.”
Navigating online friendships and social pressures
We reflected on how digital communication has changed children’s social lives.
Guidance shared:
• Online friendships can provide valuable connection but can also increase social pressure.
• Encourage regular conversations about group chats, gaming, and social media.
• Discuss digital boundaries, respectful communication, and online privacy.
• Support children to step away from online interactions if they become overwhelming.
• Be aware of signs that online friendships may be affecting emotional wellbeing.
Parents recognised that online friendships can feel every bit as meaningful to children as face-to-face relationships.
Key message:
“Online friendships can feel just as real and emotionally significant to children.”
Supporting children through friendship difficulties
We discussed how adults can best support children when friendships become challenging.
Strategies shared:
• Help children identify and express their emotions calmly.
• Encourage empathy and perspective-taking.
• Avoid escalating friendship conflicts unnecessarily with other families.
• Reassure children that difficult friendships do not define who they are.
• Remember that emotional support is often more valuable than trying to immediately fix the problem.
Parents reflected on how friendship fallouts can feel incredibly significant during childhood and adolescence.
Key message:
“Children don’t always need us to fix friendship problems — they need us to help them feel supported through them.”
When to seek additional support
We discussed situations where children may benefit from additional support, including:
• Ongoing isolation or difficulty forming friendships
• Significant anxiety linked to peer relationships
• Noticeable withdrawal, low mood, or loss of confidence
• Repeated experiences of bullying, exclusion, or unhealthy friendship dynamics
• Emotional distress affecting daily wellbeing or engagement with school
A reminder was shared that early conversations and support can make a significant difference.
Helpful support and community resources
- NSPCC – Advice for parents on friendships, bullying and keeping children safe
👉 https://www.nspcc.org.uk/ - YoungMinds – Support and resources for children’s emotional wellbeing
👉 https://www.youngminds.org.uk/ - Childline – Free, confidential support for anyone under 19
👉 https://www.childline.org.uk/ - The Mix – Information and support for young people under 25
👉 https://www.themix.org.uk/ - Shout 85258 – Free, confidential 24/7 text support
👉 https://giveusashout.org/ - Family Lives – Advice and support for families and parenting
👉 https://www.familylives.org.uk/
Key reminder:
Support is available for both children and parents. No family is expected to navigate friendship challenges alone.
Key Takeaways for Parents and Carers
- Healthy friendships support emotional wellbeing, confidence and resilience
- Boundaries help children feel safe, respected and emotionally secure
- Open conversations build trust and encourage emotional honesty
- Belonging and inclusion strengthen children's confidence and identity
- Children flourish when they feel accepted for who they are
Closing message:
“Children grow best in environments where they feel safe to belong and confident to be themselves.”
Summer Break
Thank you to everyone who has joined us throughout this academic year. It has been wonderful to connect with so many parents and carers, sharing ideas, experiences and practical strategies to support our children and young people.
Our Virtual Coffee Mornings will now take a break over the summer holidays and will return in the new academic year with another programme of supportive and informative sessions.
We look forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces when we return. Until then, we wish you and your families a safe, restful and enjoyable summer.
Thank you for reading
Written by Natalie Hollins,
Parent Support Associate
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