Friendships can be one of the greatest sources of joy and belonging for our kids, but they can also cause some of their biggest heartbreaks. So when your tween or teen is struggling with friendship drama, exclusion or bullying, when should you step in and when should you step back?
In this episode of Let’s Reconnect, Breanna is joined in the studio by bestselling parenting author, speaker and friend of the show Michelle Mitchell to discuss her new book, Friendship Smart: A Parent’s Guide.
Michelle shares her Friendship Smart framework and explains why today’s tweens and teens need us to intentionally teach relationship skills rather than simply expecting them to work friendships out for themselves.
Together, Breanna and Michelle explore the three elements Michelle believes underpin strong friendships: safety, chemistry and effort. They discuss how these elements can shift over time and why a healthy friendship doesn’t need to be perfect.
They also explore:
• The difference between balanced, “stretch” and situational friendships
• Why situational friendships can be particularly valuable for neurodivergent young people
• How to help kids recognise whether a friendship actually feels safe
• Reciprocity and learning how to both give and receive in relationships
• Why friendship conflict isn’t always a bad thing
• The difference between normal conflict, friendship drama and bullying
• When parents should step in and when kids need space to problem-solve
• Why repair and a genuine apology are essential friendship skills
• Teaching tweens and teens to say “no” and, importantly, how to receive someone else’s “no”
• Group chats, online friendships, ghosting and how technology has changed the friendship landscape
• Why friendship problems can feel relentless when they follow kids home on their phones
• How parents can create opportunities for connection outside of school
• What to say when your child tells you, “They don’t want to be my friend anymore”
• Why kids need different layers of friendship rather than relying on one best friend
Michelle also shares a simple but powerful paper-chain activity that can help kids visually track how a friendship feels over time, creating a starting point for conversations without parents immediately jumping in to fix the problem.
This episode is packed with practical language and tools parents can use to help tweens and teens develop friendship skills that will extend far beyond the school playground and into their adult relationships.
Connect with Michelle Mitchell:
Website: Michelle Mitchell
Book: Friendship Smart: A Parent’s Guide
Instagram: @michellemitchell.author
Facebook: Michelle Mitchell
keywords: tween friendships, teen friendships, friendship drama, teenage friendship problems, bullying, cyberbullying, group chats, toxic friendships, healthy friendships, friendship boundaries, helping teens make friends, neurodivergent friendships, parenting teenagers, parenting tweens, Michelle Mitchell, Friendship Smart, Let’s Reconnect podcast
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