I have a 19 month old daughter. She’s pretty reserved. She is very gentle with other kids, aside from the typical not wanting to share sometimes. She’s currently an only child and doesn’t go to daycare or anything.

We have one friend we play with. He’s about her age and he has always been a little more energetic and aggressive, but not to any extent that has concerned me. Yesterday, he came over to play. Granted, he was teething, so he wasn’t in the best mood. But...he was pretty mean. He would constantly rip things from my daughter’s hands, hit her and push her with his hands, hit her with objects, and then finally he threw a toy at her head and really upset her. He also bit her little booty. 😩

When he does these things, she just looks shocked and confused mostly. And then sad. She started to cling to me and no longer wanted to play.

His mom is a good friend of mine. We parent very differently, but that doesn’t bother me. She does correct him and disciplines him (her way). She doesn’t condone the behavior. He has 5 year old brother and I think some of the behaviors trickle down.

My main concern is...I don’t really want my daughter to learn these things. She’s never been exposed to this type of aggressive behavior. I know she is her own person and has her own personality, but I also believe in learned behaviors (especially in toddlers).

I am a therapist and have worked with kids, but toddlers aren’t really my specialty, as they are a little young for what I do. I don’t want to discourage her social development at all, but I also love her sweet demeanor that I have worked hard to foster.

Thoughts?