What if your daughter prefers not to be friends with someone? How do parents encourage their kids to be kind while also helping them respond to their own needs?
Category Archives: Understanding Your Kids Social World
Behind The Book BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)?
The celebrate the release of BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? A Girls Guide to Happy Friendships, here is a peek into the inspiration and research behind the book.
Three Truths About Kids’ Friendships
Whether you are a child, teenager, or adult, friendship gets tricky sometimes. This article shares three friendship truths to guide kids as they head back to school. Our social lives are constantly evolving, especially during childhood and adolescence. Some changes are positive, like making new friends. Others are hard, such as dealing with conflict, betrayal,Continue reading “Three Truths About Kids’ Friendships”
Helping Kids Re-Enter Their Post Pandemic Social World
With the pandemic and social distancing, many kids’ social lives are in flux. This article shares how parents can best support their kids.
Where Do I Fit? Big Questions Adolescent Girls Navigate
What is it about adolescence that intensifies social changes and struggles, especially for girls? The answer lies in some big questions girls navigate during this phase.
Swag, Simp, Tea – Understanding The Latest Teen Slang
Slang is continually evolving, making it difficult for adults to keep up. Yet, slang offers a sneak peek into the everyday lives of teens.
Yes, Sexting Happens in Middle School. How to Talk to Your Kids About It
Sexting is defined as the action of sending sexually explicit photos, videos or messages via mobile phone or the internet. Middle school counselors and teachers are concerned about the behavior as it is becoming increasingly common.
Social-Emotional Learning Activities for Kids
Social/Emotional activities and experiences help kids develop skills to better understand their world and connect with others. These downloadable activities open the door for conversations about emotions, conflict resolution, self-care as well as friendship.
Tattling vs. Reporting – Helping Kids Understand the Difference
When kids understand the difference between tattling or snitching and reporting it helps them feel safe to report unsafe situations.
The Surprising Reasons Middle School Students Start Dating
Over the past year, I’ve been talking with tweens and teens to gather research for my next book, which explores the weird stuff that happens in middle school. I’m amazed by the honesty of students and their understanding of the underlying reasons driving social behaviors. (such as cliques, gossip, chasing popularity, etc.)…