How to navigate girl friendships

Being friends with different groups can be complicated. Here's how to help your daughter manage friendships.

by: Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the GreatSchools Editorial Team

Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence’s Robin Stern gives tips on how to talk to your daughter about friendships.

Learn more:

Watch a聽fifth聽grader talk about聽her聽friendship dilemmas in Girl friendships: Through a child’s eyes.
Robin Stern offers聽advice on talking to your daughter when聽she feels like her friends are not being nice.
One mom’s anxiety about her daughter’s friendships聽turns her into a spy. Read her story.
Debunking the myth of the BFF explains what your daughter needs to know about friendships and her part in them.

Video transcript:

“I think it’s really important to encourage your daughter to think for herself. In a situation where there are several groups of friends, there might be a lot of tension that she’s experiencing, or a lot of tension she comes to you with, or anxiety – or feeling like she doesn’t know where to be. Uncertainty, because people are pulling on her, in a lot of different directions, and offering the space to sit with her and help her think through what does she think about that? When somebody’s saying “Well you can’t do anything but be with me” or “No, you have to be here with me”. What are her thoughts about that? What are her feelings? Windows to having more conversations. Also, offering your own observations about your own life, and what you’ve seen among people in the world, that you can have more than one friend, that you can belong to more than one group. That there are wonderful things about knowing people in different groups. And asking her to talk to you, about what are those positive things she gets from each one of those friends.”

About the author

Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the GreatSchools Editorial Team

This collection of articles on common parenting challenges is a collaboration between the GreatSchools Editorial Team and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, bringing together decades of expertise in child development, education, and emotional well-being. The GreatSchools Editorial Team consists of journalists and parenting experts who have dedicated more than 20 years to reporting on the critical issues affecting children and families. With a deep understanding of education and child development and backed by evidence-based research, the team has produced award-winning content that empowers parents to support their children鈥檚 academic and social-emotional growth. The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence is a research center based at the Yale School of Medicine composed of developmental psychologists and education experts who specialize in fostering emotional intelligence in children and adults. Their groundbreaking work in 黄色apps across the country has helped educators and families understand the critical role emotions play in learning, decision-making, and relationships. Together, these teams have created a collection of insightful, practical articles to help parents navigate common parenting and behavior challenges with empathy, confidence, and evidence-based solutions.