My daughter has always picked the "wrong" friends. She tends to associate with children who are mean to her. First, it was a little girl in our old neighborhood that would only talk to her if her other friends weren't around. If the other girl's friends were over, they would taunt and tease my then 3-4 year old daughter.
After we moved, I was relived she could start over. Now, unfortunatly, there are only boys on our street (she's 6 now). She goes out to play with them, and sometimes they're nice to her, but other times they are really mean, and sometimes even physically violent (one hit her with a hockey stick while she was riding her bike, she wasn't even out there playing with him. But they both have to share the same playspace/sidewalk).
Despite this bad behavior on the part of the other children, my daughter still wants to go outside and play with them. I have told her over and over that they are mean to her, and I don't want her to play with them, or even talk to them, but she says they are her friends, and she doesn't want to not be able to play with her friends.
As a result, she's now getting into trouble at school for being mean to the other children (she's in full-day kindergarten). I think it's because she thinks that's how "friends" act. But I don't know what to do. I have tried explaining to her "how to be a good friend", but she keeps reverting to yelling, pushing others out of the way, and saying mean things.
Also, her "best friend" is another little girl that my daughter is constantly trying to "one up". She wants to dress better than Kaylee, be smarter than Kaylee, have more toys than Kaylee, etc.
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Thanks.