Friends

Both of the girls feel like they have no friends at school - and Holly's friendless feeling continues at home.  They both said tonight they want to talk to the guidance counselor about it.

Maybe this feeling is contributing to the negative energy in the house lately.

This afternoon I walked outside with Jillian and heard the neighbor girl I'll call Layla talking very loudly at the girls and the other neighbor girl I'll call Alice.  The girls were all on the far side of our neighbor's house and Layla was pretty much letting them all know everything she doesn't like about them.

She told Julia that she's too nice and too clean.  That she should say Shut Up more often.  She didn't spare Holly or Alice.  She was talking so loud I didn't have to strain to hear.  After almost 10 minutes Holly came walking home.  Close behind her was Julia, in tears.

She said Layla and Alice didn't want to be friends with them anymore.  That Layla said Layla used to go to church and be good until she moved down from Julia and Holly and that Julia and Holly fight too much and they've 'torn her down'.  Layla and Alice noticed I was in the yard with the girls as they walked off.  After a few minutes they came over and almost apologized.

Layla said that Alice told her she feels bad for Julia and wanted to say so or she might cry.  And then Layla said she was sorry for yelling like that but that they'd just made her explode.  She wanted the girls to walk around the block with them.

And the girls were quiet.

I told Layla that you get good friends by being a good friend.  I told her a good friend doesn't yell at you or tell you to shut up. 

She wanted to know if they could go around the block.  She said she and Alice had just wanted to have some alone time.

I told her if she wanted alone time, go have it.

She didn't want alone time anymore.

I told her the girls could go, but they may not want to.  I said Layla may have hurt their feelings enough that they didn't want to be around her anymore today.

And then the girls went with Layla and Alice around the block.

That breaks my heart.