In the midst of gaining great friendships, your child may also find some frenemies along the way. A frenemy is someone who says they’re your friend but who routinely does things to hurt your feelings or stir-up trouble. Disentangling your child from the tentacles of a hurtful “friend” may require a bit of maneuvering on your part. Here are two ways to handle your child’s frenemy. First, help your child understand the reason this “friend” is not treating them well. Explain how they may bring your child down in order to feel better about themselves. Second, point out what genuine friendship looks like so your child can learn which friends they should invest in. We provide our frenemy strategy for your use.