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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If your child is having trouble making friends, you can help. While you can&amp;amp;#39;t make your child&amp;amp;#39;s friends for him, you can teach him how to approach other children, and put his best foot forward. Help your tween develop possible conversation starters, and encourage your child to approach children who are new at school or in the neighborhood.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Peer pressure tends to escalate during the tween years as children attempt to fit in and bond with their school mates. Not all peer pressure is bad, but you need to know what you&amp;amp;#39;re up against &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/helping-preteens-manage-peer-pressure-3288483&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;should your child feel pressured to smoke&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, drink, or &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/should-tweens-have-curfews-3288197&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;break your family rules.\u00A0&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;Talk about possible pressures your child will face from her friends, and develop strategies to deal with them. Let your child know that he can always come to you for advice on dealing with peer pressure.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Bullying behavior tends to peak during the middle school years, and many students who are bullied are so embarrassed that they refuse to tell an adult. It&amp;amp;#39;s important to know the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/bullying-behavior-in-the-tween-years-3288465&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;signs of bullying&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, so that you can help your child overcome and diffuse the situation. If your chip faces bullying at school or on the bus, he needs to let you know so that you can deal with the situation. You may even need to contact your child&amp;amp;#39;s school for assistance.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It&amp;amp;#39;s possible that one of your child&amp;amp;#39;s &amp;amp;#34;friends&amp;amp;#34; isn&amp;amp;#39;t a friend at all. Frenemies pretend friendship, but turn on their &amp;amp;#34;friends&amp;amp;#34; at a moment&amp;amp;#39;s notice. Help your child spot these toxic friends, to make room for supportive, and healthy friendships.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Tweens don&amp;amp;#39;t need dozens of friends to be happy - a few true friends will help your child through difficult moments, and support him through the ups and downs of middle school. But what makes a true friend?\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Middle school can be especially difficult for girls, especially if they run into the class mean girl. Knowing how to spot mean girls, and other bullies, is the first step to avoiding them. Ask your tween if she knows how to handle manipulative or spiteful &amp;amp;#34;friends&amp;amp;#34; and what she would do if one of her friends suddenly turned against her.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Did you know your child&amp;amp;#39;s friendships can affect his academic achievement? It&amp;amp;#39;s true, there is a link between academic achievement and peer acceptance. But your child doesn&amp;amp;#39;t have to be the most popular kid in school to be a good student. Here&amp;amp;#39;s how your child&amp;amp;#39;s friendships affect school performance.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/tweens-and-friendships-3288538>