Last week, Tonya was your mentee's best friend. Now your mentee is furious with her because of a comment Tonya made to another friend.
Social bruises like this are typical for teenagers, and
they’re difficult. At one time or another during school, many teens will:
- Have
a significant fight with a friend. They may start it, or their friend
may start it.
- Lose
an important friend, either by getting dropped by that person or by
dropping that person.
- Be
on the receiving end of a mean or nasty comment or action or be on the
giving end of meanness.
- Be
the object of gossip. Most will gossip about others.
- Be
excluded in some way from a group they want to belong to or a party
they want to attend, or they may exclude someone else from a group.
The first thing that stands out in this list is that
teenagers are likely to be on both the giving and receiving end of these
negative behaviors. Your teen isn’t the only one to have her feelings hurt by a
friend. Odds are, she’s done it herself.
Provide a listening ear and, unless the problem becomes a
serious one—your teen feels physically threatened, for example, or the teasing
has become so constant that it is harassment or bullying—it’s best to stay on
the sidelines.
Adapted from Parent
Connection by Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
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