Peer Relationships
Although the majority of the time you spend with your Little will be one-on-one, there may be an opportunity during a lunch hour to interact with your Little as a group, or you will hear from your Little about certain friends in school or in the neighborhood. Using the opportunity to encourage caring peer relationships can help your Little bridge the gap between their relationship with peers and their relationship with You. Littles love having a special friend who cares exclusively about them, but they also enjoy having a special friend who cares about them and their relationships with others.
Peer relationships can have a significant influence on a Little's school and home life, and the choices they make today and in the future. Whereas Big/Little friendships can help foster respect and appreciation for the individual, encouraging strong peer relationships can help Littles feel more comfortable and accepted in the overall school environment, which leads to an all-around happier Little.
Some ways to foster peer friendships with your Little:
- Help your little understand the perspective of others
- Encourage your Little to express his/her thoughts and emotions in ways that are acceptable in school
- Promote fairness, sensitivity, and care for ALL individuals in the school and home
Occasionally kids just don't get along, and one of the ways to encourage good relationships is to help your Little think of ways to respond to negative interactions without becoming angry. Remember, you don't have to be a trained educator to help your Little learn about positive relationships – simply sharing your own experiences can lead to a conversation about caring for others.
Cultural Awareness
Culture is a complex matter. Although we often think of it in terms of beliefs and values, it is actually more than that. Culture comprises what we feel; what we learn; what we do; who we spend our time with; memories of and preferences for smells, tastes, sounds, and feelings; images and stories we cherish.
It is the resource we all draw on when we problem solve, interpret information, plan for the future, assess ourselves and others, and locate ourselves within time and space.
Becoming aware of your own life experiences and culture is the beginning of understanding and respecting the life experiences and culture of your Little Brother/Little Sister.
Building a new relationship with anyone takes time. Little Brothers and Little Sisters have their own feelings, learning style, ways they like to do things and how they like to spend their time. They have a rich family background, their own stories and beliefs, which is a treasure that you can discover, if only you listen.
It is important to remember that different cultures have different norms and comfort levels when it comes to developing new relationships. Littles come from widely different backgrounds, places, and cultures, they have different talents and speak unique languages. The values they are taught and the expectations they have for academic and personal success can differ significantly.
Similarly, Bigs come from different backgrounds and cultures, and they have different values and skills that can affect the ways they approach a new friendship. The ways you work around those differences can affect not only your own friendship with the Little, but his/her relationship with the rest of the school and community.
Before meeting with your Little, think about ways that your own cultural background has either helped you or created barriers to successful relationships.
- How has your identity formed who you are and what you do?
- What can you do to become more aware of his/her cultural background?
- How can you use your cultural differences to help your Little become more aware of the diversity in his/her school?
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