• Parents Can Help Teens Deal With the Downside of Cliques

  Walk into any high school and you’ll see groups of friends spending time together.

• Teach Your Preteen To Value Compassion Over Popularity

  Being popular might be more important to your child than you think.

• Parents Can Help Ease the Pain of Feeling Unpopular

  Today, popularity is just as important to kids as it was in the past. And when a child feels unpopular, it’s painful. Here are some ways you can help.

• Help Your Child Get Over Hurt Feelings

  Some days, your child may feel as though you are the only friend she has. That’s especially true if members of a clique are teasing her or rejecting her.

Bullying

• Bullying: How Parents Fight Back

  Kids are often reluctant to talk about bullying. Here’s how to spot it and what to do if your child is a victim.

• If Your Child Is the Bully

  What to do when the school says your child has been involved in bullying.

• Teach Empathy To Eliminate Name-Calling

  “Nerd.” “Sissy.” “Fatso.” “Geek.” Kids have called each other names for centuries. They put someone down in front of a crowd to look cool to onlookers.

• What Should You Do if Your Child Is Being Bullied?

  Victims of bullying often develop serious problems.

Peer Pressure

• Expect Your Child To Pay the Consequences for Stealing

  And if you suspect your child has taken anything that does not belong to him, you need to make sure he knows just how big a deal it is.

• How To Respond if Your Child Is Caught Cheating

  Your child has just come home with a note from the teacher that says she was caught cheating. Your first instinct may be to ground her for life.

• Discuss Cheating Violations With Your Adolescent

  Few teens want to seem out of step with their peers.

• Suggest Many Different Ways For Your Teen to ‘Just Say No’

  Sometimes, “no” isn’t enough to stand up to negative peer pressure.

• Talk With Your Teen About the Qualities of True Friends

  Here are some other qualities of true friends to discuss with your teen.