As teenagers bridge the gap between being a child and becoming an adult, their changing bodies, growing autonomy and greater exposure to the adult world also result in changing relationships--especially teenage friendships. Being familiar with the different issues that come up while your child is a teenager will enable you to determine how to help him or her cope with challenges and changing friendships.
Cliques
Teenagers are concerned about fitting in, so it's natural to gravitate toward a group that makes them feel as if they belong, such as a sports or academic team or a club. However, when a group is not welcoming or kind to others--or even attempts to make them feel alienated--a clique results, according to KidsHealth.org.
Cliques are an issue for teens who feel alienated and for those who are hurtful to others. While it's important for your teens to have friends, you want to teach them the importance of good values--including being kind to others, even if they are different. Teens also can experience issues if they were once in a clique and then become alienated from the group. This can affect a teen's self-esteem and cause hurt feelings and sadness.
Substance Abuse
Teenagers often become exposed to making difficult choices, such as the decision to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or use drugs. Seeing a good friend making a poor decision can be difficult for teens because they don't want to lose the person as a friend, yet don't share the same choices. Because a teen's friend may be in denial about how their behavior may affect your teen, discussing the issue can create a division between friends, according to The Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Because peer pressure can lead a teen to be curious about trying new things, the friend who is abusing a substance may pressure the other friend to do the same. If you suspect your teen's friends may be abusing illegal substances, talk to your teen about the dangers--and how it is okay to make different choices from their friends.
Appearance Pressures
Teens' changing bodies and hormones can mean they have little control over the way they look. However, this is the time when their personal appearance means most to them, according to the University of Illinois Extension. Because their appearance can determine their ability to attract the opposite sex and fit in with their friends, an immense desire to fit in can cause a teen to develop dangerous habits. These include unreasonable control of their eating and exercise, which can result in disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Because a teen's self-esteem is so delicate during this time, you need to reinforce the fact that beauty and attractiveness come in all shapes and sizes can help.
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