Internationally, high schools are feeding grounds for social cliques, strategic playground seating arrangements, cyber bullying and mean girl queen bees who torment the nice kids who fall prey to them. For a parent, it is heartbreaking to stand on the sidelines watching these girls rule the school.
In an article titled Five Steps for Taking the Sting out of the Queen Bee, Mary Beth Sammons shared the results of a community poll on the Circle of Moms website. The top suggestions for helping daughters cope with bullying behaviour were:
- Listen Up – Keeping the lines of communication open means you’re in the loop and she won’t feel that she’s alone. Open communication is valuable to a teen dealing with mean girls.
- Encourage New Friendships – Encourage your daughter to find a new circle of friends.
- Be a Role Model – Model how caring, respectful people treat each other.
- Phone Home – Tell her that she can always call or text you if she needs help or a friendly voice.
- Teach Her to Trust Her Gut – Encourage your daughter to pay attention to her feelings. If someone is being mean or rude or abusive to her, explain how important it is not to discount those gut feelings. It’s better to walk away than be hurt.
