What Parents Need to Know About Teenage Girls & Friendships
Gone are the days when you picked out your child's friends for playdates, neighborhood get-togethers or sleepovers. As your child ages, her social life becomes more complex and begins to revolve more around her need for independence and reliance on her friendships. If the world of teen girl friendships seems like a curious place to you, you aren't alone. Parents may need to take a step back and learn a thing or two about teenage girls and friendships before passing judgment on -- or trying to help -- their child.
-
Cliques
-
Not all of your teen daughter's friendships are necessarily one-on-one. Groups of friends, and cliques, permeate the high school hallways. While a true group of friends provides a positive way for your teen to find support, cliques are social structures that often have negative consequences. According to the pediatric pros at the KidsHealth website, friendship groups often revolve around a common interest, while cliques are more about creating an elite or restrictive environment. It's not uncommon for teenage girls to form superficial friendships or change their appearance to get into a clique. If you notice this happening, start an open conversation with her about the negative aspects of cliques.
Time
-
While your daughter, in her preschool years, was permanently attached to your leg, as she grows she may not want to spend as such time with you. As your teen's friendships begin to take priority and become more intimate, it's normal to feel some degree of sadness in not being the center of her world. This doesn't mean her BFF -- best friend forever -- is taking your place or that she doesn't want anything to do with you anymore. Instead, she is going through a natural transition in her social development.
Peer Pressure
-
As your teen's friendships become increasingly important to her, she may begin to fall victim to peer pressure more easily. According to the KidsHealth website, teens may bend to peer pressure to try to fit in. For your daughter, this may mean her friends try to influence her leisure-time activities, get her to drink alcohol, pressure her to use drugs or make her feel as if she is acting childish if she doesn't want to engage in sexual behaviors with boys. Talk to your daughter early in her teen years about peer pressure and how to stand up for herself. Let her know her true friends will understand if she says no and that leaving a sticky situation is better than doing something she knows is wrong.
Friendship Changes
-
Although your teen may have some of the same friends she did early on in her school years, she will develop new best friends as she moves through adolescence. It's not uncommon for a teen to make new friends and let some of the old ones go as she changes. This may come in a gradual swapping out of your daughter's social circle or may seem like a much more abrupt change. Some of your teen's friendships may end as a result of disputes or emotional issues. For example, if your teen and her -- now former -- BFF both like the same boy, ending the friendship because of this dispute isn't out of the question.
-
-
The media has a tendency to depict teenagers as younger versions of hyper-social adults, intent on partying with huge circles of friends, but this isnt a clear picture of most adolescents. While most teens enjoy spending time with friends, children t
-
Prom night can be one of the most exciting events of your teens high school career, but it can also have its downside. Unsupervised prom celebrations may provide the opportunity for risky behavior such as underage drinking, drug use and unsafe sex. M
-
When children are young, their parents seem to make a lot of decisions for them, from what they wear to school to what they eat for dinner. As children grow, however, some strive for more independence and decision-making responsibilities. One area wh
Previous:A Sense of Belonging in Teenagers
Next:How to Plan a Day of Social Team Building for Teenagers
