Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD
Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD (aka Dr. Friendtastic)

Welcome to the Dr. Friendtastic newsletter for parents

With the epidemic of loneliness among adults, the mental health crisis among teens, and the harsh divisiveness in our country and our world, the work of teaching children how to build strong and caring friendships has never been more urgent.

This newsletter offers practical, research-based ideas you can use to help your child make and keep friends. And, you’ll probably find that the information is useful and relevant for your own relationships.

Why a newsletter about children’s friendships?

Friendships matter. They make the hard times easier and the good times more fun.

But friendships aren’t always easy. Feeling anxious around people they don’t know well, having an argument with a friend, dealing with teasing, or feeling jealous when a friend spends time with someone else…these are all common experiences for kids, but they can be very painful.

Even as adults, in new situations or new relationships, we’re constantly learning about how to get along with others.

The good news is that there’s a lot we can do as parents to help our kids learn to make and keep friends.

This newsletter gives you essential resources so you can help your child navigate those unavoidable friendship rough spots and learn to be a good friend.

For FREE subscribers

I’m deeply committed to offering the Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic weekly podcast for free. Each 5-minute episode features an audio recording of a question about friendship from a child plus a practical and thought-provoking answer, as well as a transcript and discussion questions. Check out past episodes HERE or on your favorite podcast app.

I’ll also send free subscribers at least one article for parents per month.

For PAID subscribers

Paid subscribers get the free weekly podcast on Saturdays, articles or videos for parents on Wednesdays, as well as access to the full archive. PLUS a live or recorded featured workshop EACH MONTH at no additional cost!

The featured workshop will be available from the first Wednesday to the end of that month. For only $7 a month or $70 a year, this is a bargain. (If you’re not a paid subscriber, you can purchase individual featured workshops.)

Featured workshops are entertaining and practical. They offer realistic, research-based tips you can use immediately to support your child's social and emotional development. They draw from my knowledge as a clinical psychologist and author of nine traditionally published books about children’s feelings and friendships.

I have lots of great new topics coming up, including Myths and Truths About Resilience in Children and Families and Raising Kind Kids, as well as Q&A sessions.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get the strategies you need to support your child and family.

UPGRADE NOW to paid subscriber

For ALL-ACCESS subscribers

You can also sign up for an ALL-ACCESS subscription, which will get you everything in the paid subscription plus access to ALL live and recorded workshops (not just the featured one) for a full year (instead of just a month). If you want to dive into the full set of resources for helping your child understand and cope with feelings and build caring friendships, this is the subscription plan for you!

I’ll be adding more workshops regularly, so your all-access subscription will become more valuable over time.

UPGRADE NOW to paid or all-access

A podcast about friendship to share with your child

The Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic podcast is for children, but it’s actually an easy and convenient resource for parents and other caring adults to help kids learn about friendship.

Each weekly, 5-minute episode features an audio recording of a question about friendship from a child (age 13 or under), plus a practical and thought-provoking answer. You’ll also get a transcript and discussion questions you can use to help your child think about the topic in deeper, more personal ways.

Just listening to the podcast with your child is likely to trigger interesting conversations. You may also want to break it into steps:

  • Play an episode up to the end of the kid question.

  • Ask your child what advice they’d give to that kid.

  • Play my answer.

  • Use the discussion questions as a jumping-off point to connect the topic to your child’s experiences.

Frequently asked questions

  • Who is Dr. Friendtastic?

My real name is Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD. I’m an author, clinical psychologist, and mom of four based in Princeton, NJ. I’ve written a bunch of books about children’s feelings and friendships, including: Moody Moody Cars (for ages 4-8), Growing Feelings (for ages 6-12), Growing Friendships (for ages 6-12), and Kid Confidence (for parents). Learn more at EileenKennedyMoore.com or DrFriendtastic.com (for kids).

  • Why do you care so much about friendship?

When I was growing up, my family moved about every three years, spending time living in Spain and Peru as well as the Chicago area. So, you could say I became an expert at a young age about making new friends and connecting with lots of different people–because I had to!

In my psychology practice, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with kids and adults about friendship issues. I’ve also studied a lot of scientific research about friendships. Strong friendships help us feel happier and more connected.

  • Do you wear a cape in real life?

Not as often as I’d like!

Unlock the power of friendship for your child!

Become a free subscriber to get the Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic weekly, 5-minute podcast episodes sent directly to your email plus parent resources.

Join now as a paid subscriber to get additional posts for parents, access to the full archive, PLUS access to a featured, monthy live or recorded workshop FOR PARENTS about children’s feelings and friendships at NO ADDITIONAL COST for that month.

Join as an all-access subscriber and you’ll get access to all posts PLUS you won’t have to wait: you’ll get access to all workshops for parents AND KIDS as soon as they’re available, and they won’t expire at the end of the month. The all-access membership becomes more valuable over time because I keep adding new workshops. You can see all current workshop topics HERE.

YES! I want all the perks!

My gift for you

To thank you for subscribing to the Dr. Friendtastic newsletter, I’d like to give you three free mini-guides for parents. Sign up below to receive them. These e-books offer 10 quick tips to use immediately or longer term:

  • When Your Child…Says, “Nobody Like Me”

  • When Your Child…Cries Easily

  • When Your Child…Gets Bullied

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Some Practical Matters

Obviously, the Dr. Friendtastic newsletter is NOT psychotherapy. It's for educational purposes only. The ideas mentioned may or may not be relevant for your particular situation.

I trust you to use your judgment about what makes sense for your child and your family and to consult your physician or a mental health provider, if needed, about very serious or complicated situations.

Subscribe to Dr. Friendtastic for Parents

Useful tips for parents about children's feelings & friendships from psychologist & author Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD, PLUS weekly 5-min. podcast: Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic (over 2000 subscribers).

People

Author, psychologist, mom of 4, in Princeton, NJ. I write the Dr. Friendtastic newsletter + podcast about kids' feelings & friendships. Recent books: Growing Feelings, Moody Moody Cars, Kid Confidence. EileenKennedyMoore.com | DrFriendtastic.com.