Social Development
Mean Girl - Has Your Tween Encountered the Class Mean Girl?
There's one in every class. Has your preteen had a run in with the class mean girl?
Helping Preteens Resist Peer Pressure
Peer pressure doesn't have to rule your child's life. Here are a few pointers.
Tween Friendships
How tweens view friendships and the importance they play in a preteen's life.
Stop Cyberbullying
What parents and teachers can do to stop cyberbullying.
A Friend Indeed
Friendships are important to tweens. Here's how to help them troubleshoot.
The Bullying Years
Put an end to bullying behavior.
Surviving Tween Love
Tips to help you and your tween through preteen love.
Understanding Preteen Cliques
Understanding preteen cliques and helping your tween deal with them.
Coming of Age Movies - Share Your Favorite Coming of Age Movies or Stories
Do you have a favorite coming of age movie or story to share? Add your suggestion to our list of coming of age movies, books, and stories.
Child Volunteer - Does Your Child Volunteer?
Does your child like to volunteer? Share your experiences and tips on child volunteers.
Deal with Bullying - How Did You Help Your Child Deal with Bullying
Kids have to face bullying behavior every day. How did you help your child learn how to deal with bullying?
The Characteristics of a True Friend
What tweens need to know about friendship, and what makes a great friend.
Bad Friends - How Do You Handle Your Child's Bad Friends?
Sometimes kids make bad friends. How do you handle your child's bad friends?
Selfish - How Do You Handle Your Child's Selfish Behavior?
All children demonstrate selfish behavior from time to time. Here's how parents deal with it.
The Upside of Being a Kid in Love
Although there are a number of problematic outcomes associated with adolescent relationships, being a kid in love may actually aid development in some ways. Here are some possible positive consequences of being a kid in love.
Upward Comparison
Upward comparisons are one type of social comparison. Learn the definition of upward comparisons and how they relate to parenting.
The Long-Term Consequences of Bullying
The short-term consequences of bullying in childhood have been well established. There are also a number of long-term consequences of bullying that last well into adulthood.
A Glimpse of The Bully Who's Probably In Your Child's School
If you were asked to describe the bully your child is most likely to encounter, what characteristics would you include? Here's how researchers describe the bully that typically appears in our schools.
Is it Normal to See Children Dating? - How Common It Is to Find Children...
Is it Normal to See Children Dating? - How Common It Is to Find Children Dating Seriously
Tips on Starting Middle School - Share Your Tips on Starting Middle School
Is your child getting ready to begin middle school? What are your tips for starting middle school and making the most of the experience? What tips would you offer to a child getting ready for middle school?
The Problems Associated With Preteen and Teenage Dating
Preteen and teenage dating can have both beneficial and problematic outcomes. Here are some of the negative consequences associated with tween and teenage dating.
Social Stress and Tweens
Social stress, such as being bullied or ostracized, can have long-term negative effects. The duration of these effects depends upon how the victim mentally processes the event(s).
Bullying Statistics
Researchers have collected comprehensive bullying statistics from tweens. Learn how often the various types of bullying occur and the types of bullying that tweens find to be most harmful.
Teaching Responsibility to Your Child
There are many ways of teaching responsibility to your child, including providing opportunities to be conscientious and modeling the behavior yourself. Here are some strategies for teaching responsibility to your tween.
Social Exclusion and Girls
Social exclusion, a form of relational aggression, is used differently by females than males. Learn what recent research has to say about how social exclusion is used by girls.
Social Exclusion Definition
Social exclusion is one form of relational aggression. Learn what is social exclusion in relation to relationships and human behavior.
Does Girl Bullying Differ From Boy Bullying?
Does girl bullying involve more relational aggression than boy bullying? Girl bullying may be more socially aggressive than boy bullying, but this varies by age and type of data collection.
What Happens When Kids Are Outcast
Being outcast from one's peers may be one of the most common traumatic events of childhood. Here's what you need to know to help your child handle social rejection.
Helping Kids Volunteer - Kids, Volunteer Opportunities and Tips
Helping Kids Volunteer - Kids, Volunteer Opportunities and Tips
Limerence
Limerence is a state of romantic attraction that tweens often experience. Learn what limerence means.
Types of Bullying - The Types of Bullying Often Found in Schools
There are five primary types of bullying. Some of these types of bullying are easier to observe than others, but all can have lasting impacts on their victims. Here are the types of bullying that your child may encounter in school .
Catty Behavior
Catty behavior inflicts a number of wounds on victims. Catty girls and guys also face consequences of their own, both positive and negative.
How to Help Your Child Handle Rejection
It’s distressing to watch your child be socially rejected, especially when you feel like there’s nothing you can do to help him handle rejection. Here are some steps you can take to help your child handle rejection.
How Being Ostracized Can Harm Kids
Relational aggression in any form can be harmful, but being ostracized may have particularly devastating effects. Here are some of the harmful effects of being ostracized or socially excluded.
Social Relationships
Fundamental shifts in social relationships occur during the tween years. Here’s a summary of some of the major changes in kids' social relationships.
The Effects of Backstabbing And Other Forms of Relational Aggression
Backstabbing and other forms of relational aggression can have specific effects on victims. Here are some consequences of backstabbing and social aggression.
Average Child
“Average children” are somewhat liked by some peers and somewhat disliked by others. Learn more about average children.
Peer Group Acceptance
Friends become increasingly important during the tween years so it’s helpful to consider how your child fits in with his peer group when making parenting decisions. Here are parenting suggestions based on his peer group acceptance.
Is Your Child at Risk of Intense Egocentric Thinking?
Although egocentric thinking is typically a healthy part of adolescence, it can be dangerous if taken to the extreme. Here are the characteristics that make intense egocentric thinking more likely.
Why Kids Make Social Comparisons
During the preteen years, kids begin to make more social comparisons. Learn the changing factors that cause kids to be more likely to make social comparisons.
Peer Groups And Your Child
Sociometric (or peer) statuses provide a way of understanding how kids fit into their peer groups. Here are the five most commonly used sociometric statuses and how they relate to a children's peer groups.
Social Inclusion
Social inclusion may be particularly important after instances of social exclusion. Learn the definition of social inclusion in relation to relationships and human behavior.
Social Rejection
Many tweens experience social rejection, which is one form of relational aggression. The longer the social rejection lasts and the more meaningful it is, the more damaging it tends to be.
Social Inclusion and Exclusion
Social exclusion can have highly negative effects, making most kids desparate for social inclusion. Here are the strategies kids often use to attempt social inclusion after exclusion.
Conformity Definition
There's a lot of pressure in the tween years to conform.
Social Relations
Kids' social relations shift dramatically during the tween years. Learn about these changes and how you can tailor your parenting around your child's social relations style.
When Is Female Aggression Most Common?
Female aggression is formally called relational or social aggression. Learn about the developmental period when this subtle form of aggression peaks.
Downward Comparisons
Downward comparisons are one type of social comparison. Learn the definition of downward comparisons and how the term relates to parenting.
Why is Bullying in Middle School so Common?
Relational bullying in middle school is highly prevalent. Heightened social skills coupled with poor emotional development underlies relational bullying in middle school.
Am I Raising a Lonely Child?
About 10 percent of kids report feeling lonely. Here are tips on determining whether your kid is becoming a lonely child.
Self Esteem in Children
The tween years are a critical time in the development of self esteem. Self esteem in children changes in four major ways during this period of life.
Child Self Esteem
Child self esteem may be especially vulnerable to fluctuations during the tween years. Here's what you need to know about child self esteem during preadolescence.
How Ostracism Relates to School Shootings
How ostracism relates to campus shootings.
Controversial Children
The definition of the controversial child.
Neglected Child
A “neglected child” is a child who is not liked by his peers, but is also not disliked. The term "neglected child" is used in sociometric status (or peer status) research, which attempts to understand a child’s social standing based on peer responses to that child.
Popular Children
The term popular children describes children who are admired and liked by their peers.
Effects of Loneliness
The effects of loneliness can vary greatly from person to person and may include feeling depressed and having poor-quality relationships. Here's a rundown of the effects of loneliness on tweens.
Rejected Child
A rejected child is someone who is strongly disliked by his peers.
Sociometric Status
How children are regarded by their peers is what researchers call sociometric status.
Friend Problems Tweens Encounter
Help your child deal with difficult friend problems.
Helping Your Tween Deal with School Trouble
Is your child experiencing trouble at school? School trouble is common in middle school. Here's what to look for and how to handle those sticky situations.
Who Has an Influence on Children During Middle School?
Your child is influenced by many during the middle school years. Here's how to know who has influence on children during middle school.
Service Projects for Middle Schoolers
Learn leadership skills and contribute to the community by participating in a service project.
Prepare Your Tween for a Middle School Dance
Is your tween nervous about going to the school dance? Preparation is key.