Popularity vs. Friendship Support for Teens & Parents

I recently conducted a poll on Instagram asking my followers if they had ever been rejected by a friend who joined a more popular group. Shockingly, 100% of them had gone through this experience. In The Brave Girl Tribe, this is a common topic among the girls.

Pursuing popularity can be problematic as it often overrides healthy social skills. For teens, popularity is more about social dynamics and seeking power and status, which can lead to fear and aggression among peers.

A study from the University of Virginia found that preteens who were most concerned about being popular tended to act older and more mature and were more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Interestingly, the group of tweens who acted more mature were the more popular kids in middle school but were the least socially successful as young adults.

To help your daughter seek genuine friendships rather than the pull of popularity, ask her what qualities she values in her friends and if her current friends meet those qualities. Encourage her to be authentic and true to herself in her relationships.

For further guidance, I have an excellent journaling page to help you and your daughter explore these questions together. Download now

Does your daughter feel like her friends are ditching her for the more popular group? She may benefit from having a safe place to talk about her experiences and learn the skills she needs to help her be her authentic self. The Brave Girl Tribe is my online community for girls in 5th to 8th grade, full of caring and welcoming members excited to meet new girls. We would love for your daughter to be our next guest on a Sunday call. Simply click here to register your daughter.  Want to see a sample of what the girls learn in The Brave Girl Tribe? Here is my most recent Brave Tribe Members Only Podcast. In this episode, I share tips on dealing with a friend acting differently and who is obsessed with popularity. Your daughter would have access to this weekly content and many other resources and tools.

Additional Resources on our Tool/Resources page Click Here

"Staying positive is a skill in a world full of stress and worries!"

Warmly,

Laura Hayes
Founder of The Brave Girl Project
Life Coach for Tween & Teen Girls
www.TheBraveGirlProject.com
[email protected]

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