How to Help a Teen Deal With Cliques

Cliques are evident as early as first grade in some schools. It is a real problem because teens suffer the harshest teasing and embarrassment from cliques. Teens often claim they are looking to assert their independence, but teens involved in cliques often fall into a pattern of conformity. The teen may feel like she is making independent decisions, when in fact peer pressure is often directing the teen's behavior.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Help Your Teen Evaluate a Clique Before Joining

1. Tell your teen to hang around with a clique to see how it treats other kids. Before he joins, he should see what the clique is really about. It will help your teen assess whether or not he shares the same beliefs that the clique does.

2. Help your teen put herself in the shoes of others. If the clique is rude or excludes others, she should try to think about how it feels to be excluded.

3. Counsel your teen to step back and see if hostile or deliberately mean behavior is a part of the clique.

4. Have your teen evaluate the competition within the group. If he joins the clique, he will ultimately be expected to lead by example.

5. Make your teen imagine how joining this clique will look to others, especially adults. Think about how the clique could affect her reputation.

Learn How Parents Can Deal With Teens and Cliques

6. Value real virtues in your home. Show your teen that what you wear and what makeup you use is not as important as the compassion and kindness that you will carry with you past your high school years.

7. Be available when your teens ask for advice. Offer to help your teen deal with concerns he may have before getting involved in a clique.

8. Show your teen that you support him by staying involved in his activities and social events.

9. Remind your teen that friendships change. The friends they have in school may not be the same friends they have in a year or two.

10. Check out other venues that may offer social involvement for your teen. Look into clubs or after-school sports where unity is fostered among teens.

11. Teach your teen that everyone is different. It's a positive lesson to celebrate, and it will help your teen deal with and value uniqueness.