Navigating Middle School Friendships

authored by Director of Middle School Sharon Baker

This week we have been navigating all things friendship. Students have settled in just enough to renegotiate friendships that may have gone dormant over the summer, meet new friends, maybe make a friendship mistake and need to reassess, and even find themselves yearning for an adult to step in and smooth the way for them.

For middle schoolers, nothing is more pressing than friendships. If you have a friend, someone to whisper secrets to, someone to plan dress down days with, someone you know will laugh at your teacher’s jokes with you, then all is right with the world. If they are on the outs or not feeling confident, then everything everywhere is terrible. Got an A- on a French quiz? Terrible. Forgot it was a dress down day? Might as well be in school naked because that’s how awful you feel. Breakfast for lunch day? The worst (even though it’s your favorite).

Never underestimate the importance and power of relationships and connection, especially in the so very lonely world of an adolescent girl. Don’t try to fix it. I know you want to, but you had your chance at middle school and survived. They have to navigate this on their own. I promise, they can do it, and they will be better off for it. Know, that the friendship bumps are normal and typically smooth out quickly (often by the end of the day), and a lot can be fixed by a walk together around the block and sharing a bag of M and Ms.