It is tricky. I guess my son can be a bit self-involved, but I think that comes from being an only child for five years. He is very self-efficient, but he is great in a team (such as with basketball). It is hard for him, or any human being, to be friends with people who you have nothing in common with; his classmates step on his bag and playfully kick him in the shins, while he wants to play chess and read physics books. He needs older friends, but he makes friends with these kids because he feels he has to conform- and he has and that, to me, is being sociable. I find it ridiculous to have an attitude of: "you can't be in a class with older kids until you learn to be friends with younger kids who you'll never be friends with again, once you're in a class with older kids".
