High School Cliques

Everyone has had to deal with high school social cliques at some point in time. Cliques in high school are almost a tradition, but this doesn't mean that we should ignore the destructive aspects of them. As parents, it is our responsibility to do what we can for our kids who are just trying to get through high school.

Rather than trying to catch them out breaking the rules, we should act as their allies and advocates. High school peer pressure is a serious issue, and one that we can only deal with if we are willing to be friends with our own children.

I remember high school clique culture well, but many parents seem to have forgotten it. High school cliques can be quite evil and destructive. When I was in high school, because I was a nerd I got beat up on all the time.

The jocks all hung out together, and many of them had the support of the teachers. At the very least, educators seemed to look away when the football stars would beat up on the wimpy kids. If you weren't in the top high school cliques, you day-to-day life could be hell.

Of course, not being one of the popular kids I didn't have to deal with one of the other distractive aspects of high school cliques – bad role models. High school drug abuse is a bigger problem than it has ever been before in America. More and more kids are trying drugs at a young age, and the cliques in high school reinforce it.

After all, let's face the facts; if the kid has to try drugs to be cool, he will probably try drugs. That doesn't mean he is a bad kid or that he wants to disobey his parents. It is simply part of the high school social reality. Everyone wants to fit in, and sometimes people do things that they shouldn't in order to fit in.

There are some pretty good tips for parents to recognize high school cliques. One of the most important ones is simple: listen to your kids. It is simple but it is not always easy. Often, parents and children develop unhealthy relationships that are hard to break.

Actually curing your kid's concern about high school peer pressure, the need to fit in, and the unique worries that every kid has may be your biggest challenge as a parent. Don't pay attention to all of the warning sheets about recognizing signs that things are going wrong with your kid. Trust your instincts and try to trust your child.