Posted as a comment on a parenting Facebook page for LDS families
Our family enjoys being friends with a variety of people. I think it makes our life richer to have the variety. I also want them to know that not everyone is just like them and how to work through differences when necessary. We still give serious consideration to values. We try to look for friends who have high/strong values and those who will support our values. I like to know the families/parents before having our kids go to another person's house. I've had friends/parents who are not LDS ask why some LDS families don't let their kids play with those who are not of the same religion. I don't have an answer for them...because, it really doesn't make sense to me. I just had to throw that out there to illustrate the point that people are watching - some very closely. So, I don't think it's a religion thing - it's a values/behavior thing. (A couple of years ago my oldest had a friend that we finally had to just say my son needed to be done going to his home. It wasn't a dramatic thing - they had started at different schools after being at the same school for several years so it wasn't too awkward. There were some media choices being made at their home that we felt were not appropriate. There were also conversations that were very disrespectful toward women. We knew that our son needed a better environment. It was a good experience in choosing friends with good values and behavior that reflected those values - regardless of religion.)
