Planet Middle School: Helping Your Child through the Peer Pressure, Awkward Moments & Emotional Drama

by Kevin Leman

What do girls need to know? They need to know how boys think. One peek at the vision of a cute feminine behind can make a boy salivate. A girl sitting in a boy’s lap can make Mr. Happy more than happy. Because a boy is so visually stimulated, how a girl dresses greatly affects the way he perceives her. Girls need to be encouraged to become friends with both sexes. Because girls are relational creatures, when they get boyfriends, they tend to become exclusive and miss developing other friendships with peers. Girls also should be cautioned about giving away their secrets. Friends change fast in middle school, and betrayal happens even faster. Some will claim to be friends, but how many of those will stick close when the going gets tough? And finally, girls need to know that we all have unique features, including body size, weight, and shape. Each girl is created to be uniquely her—valuable and worthy. She doesn’t have to go on a diet, wear makeup, or look like somebody else to be important. What people think of as beautiful will come and go. In the Victorian era, chubby angels were in vogue. In other eras, stick-thin has been in vogue. Trends will change, but the person you are at your core is what is important.