Parents, what would you do if you saw your student spending time with friends who always seemed to make her less happy with herself and her high school life? You’d probably think that it might be time for your student to find different friends.
Good high school friends should build each other up. They should celebrate each other’s strengths and accept each other’s weaknesses. They should have a sense of camaraderie and a supportive spirit that they’re all in this high school thing together. And even if they’re individually competitive by nature, they genuinely want nothing but the best for each other. Good friends should make your student happy.
Do you expect the same from your friends?
If you regularly spend time with parents who turn high school and the college admissions process into a status competition, who consistently make you feel like you’re somehow not doing enough just because you didn’t pay for the expensive tutor or summer camp or private coach, who always find a way to make you feel less confident that a college will appreciate your kid for exactly who he or she is….
…maybe it’s time to find different friends?