I love that your daughter sticks up for her cousin and notices how people with disabilities get left out. — Drama Mama

Third grade is the age where social stratification and self-consciousness begin to appear.

Most likely, your daughter is comparing herself not necessarily to just the other girls at school, but to all the images of girls and women she sees in her media.

Talking about this with her directly isn’t fruitful, and I’m getting a bit worried that this could be a sign of something else.

A number of things could be going on in Addie's head when she clings to old items.

Maybe they feel tied to her memories/relationships, and so discarding them carries a heavier weight than it does for you.

Maybe she doesn’t quite understand yet that possessions can be ephemeral.

Dear Care and Feeding: Don't break up with Tim on your son's behalf for no reason and with no explanation.

If your son didn’t want to hang out anymore, he owed it to Tim to be honest about that, and he could have cited their differing interests as the reason.

Your son's parents are willing to accept that other people can be gay but not their own child.