How Can I Tell This Pushy Parent to Leave Me Alone?

Photo byMarkus SpiskeonUnsplash

My kids are close in age, aged 10 and 11, respectively. They made friends with two other kids, an 11-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, who they met at school and started playing online games with.

At first, everything seemed fine, and I was happy to see my kids having fun with their new friends. However, as time went on, I started noticing things that made me feel uncomfortable. For one, the boys were constantly fighting, which I know is typical of kids, but it seemed to be happening daily, and it was concerning. I didn't want my kids exposed to that level of conflict so frequently.

To make matters worse, the little girl who had befriended my daughter started having expectations from her that made my daughter feel uncomfortable. She would ask my daughter for things she wanted and would even beg and cry for her to use her game money, which is real money my daughter had earned through chores and received as a gift. My daughter had already shared a lot with her, but the little girl's behavior was becoming excessive, and it made me worry about the dynamic between them.

On top of that, the son had a concerning habit of taking out his anger on my daughter and later apologizing to her. This cycle was making my daughter upset and hurting her feelings regularly. While I know kids play and can be imaginative, it was happening to a noticeable extent, which made me feel uneasy.

I tried to encourage my kids to make new friends, and it seemed to be going well for a while. However, their friendship with these two kids rekindled, and I wasn't sure what to do. What made it worse was that the other kids' mother was incredibly pushy. She would try to make plans with my kids and invite them over all the time. She'd even message me to get my kids to play games with hers online. While I appreciated her efforts, I felt like she was imposing on my family's time and space. When I tried to blow her off, she'd pressure me "in a supportive way," which made me feel guilty and uncomfortable.

The other mother had been kind to my kids, doing little things here and there for them, and even offering to babysit. However, I didn't want to take her up on that offer because I didn't feel comfortable with the relationship dynamics between the kids. To make matters worse, her kids had overshared information about my family, which made me feel like they were prying. I didn't want to be mean, but I couldn't ignore the issues anymore.

I needed to find a way to tell her to back off without being rude. I knew I had to be honest with her and explain that I didn't feel comfortable with the way things were going.

How can I say, please leave me alone?