I've seen some bossiness in my DD8 and have thought a lot about it, and I kinda think, in her case at least, her bossiness is a result of several years of being grouped with kids who didn't know as much as she did (before grade acceleration). I think when other kids were learning things in class, she already knew them. And this put it in her head that she knew things other kids her age didn't know, and that if she wanted to play with these kids she would have to explain things. It's like empathy (like many of our kids have so much of) but just not always necessary or accurately aimed. Interestingly, we have neighbor kids (three of them, all siblings) who are all very bossy, but for them it seems more like they're always used to getting their way when they play with others, and if they don't they change the rules or quit playing. So, I guess what I'm saying is that there are different reasons for bossiness and it might be helpful to figure out the reason for the bossiness and make changes (e.g., remind my daughter that she doesn't have to "teach" her friends things) or not, as necessary.
Also, I wanted to totally agree that it was ridiculous for the other mother to "scold" you by talking about your child to her child. I HATE when mom's do this! It's so competitive! ((HUGS))
Last edited by mnmom23; 06/30/10 08:03 PM. Reason: Add stuff
