DEAR ABBY: My 7-year-old daughter, "Jessie," has a best friend who lives next door. The neighbor, "Laurie," has an older brother, "Jason," who is 13.
Recently, Jessie played at Laurie's house, and when she came home she told me Jason had said some nasty things to her. When I asked what they were, she told me that one time Jason told her to pull down her underwear, and another time he told her to pull down his pants and do something that can't be mentioned in a family newspaper.
When I heard it, I was livid. I told his mother about it, and now she will not let my daughter play with Laurie. She believes Jessie made it all up. My daughter is inconsolable because she no longer has a playmate. She believes it is her fault that Laurie can't play with her because she told me. I don't know what to do so the girls can play together. -- NEEDS A PLAYMATE
DEAR NEEDS: It is important that you make Jessie understand that none of this was her fault -- it was Jason's fault -- and that she did the right thing by telling you. What you need to do now is help your daughter find other playmates, preferably some whose parents supervise when children play in their home.
While Jason's mother may not want to believe what her son did, it's highly unlikely your daughter made it up. Dealing with a problem like that by putting her head in the sand will only invite more trouble, because Jason is sure to repeat it with some other little girl.