Submitted by Elise, Little Rock, AR

My two year old doesn't seem interested in making friends. Should I be worried?

Answered by Jacque Grillo , Director, Lone Mountain Children's Center

Having reasonable social expectations for your child is key. Appropriate expectations will mostly depend on your child’s age, temperament, and experience level. A three-year-old child’s approach to friendships is vastly different from that of the typical five year old. Usually children progress from solitary play, to parallel play, and then on to the beginnings of actual social interaction. In the parallel play stage, typical with toddlers, two children will stay physically close to each other, but rather than focusing directly on one another they remain absorbed in the objects they are manipulating. Usually by two and a half or three children will begin to make social overtures, though these are often more physical than verbal. Reaching out and touching the other child (even on the face) is easily mistaken by an adult for aggression, but can actually be a child’s way of expressing interest and issuing an invitation.