my 6th grade daughter is suffering from lots of stress caused by her new middle school. She comes home in tears, and explains all the negativity done to her by people, and all the homework she has, and I want to know how to help her.
2006-09-28 09:40:15 · 25 answers · asked by Anne L 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Adolescent
My daughter just started in the 6th grade also. It is a big adjustment from elementary school. She has done fine so far. I would say keep encouraging her as much as you can. Help with homework when she needs it. Kid's can be cruel, but tell her to walk into the school with her head held high. If you tell her that she is as good as anyone else she will soon believe it. Encourage her to get involved in school activities such as sports, year book committee and so on. The more she is involved the more friends she will make. Pretty soon she will look forward to going to school. Good luck!
2006-09-28 09:54:52 · answer #1 · answered by Kim M 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Okay - I'm the perfect person to answer this for two reasons. 1.) The same thing happed to me when I was in school and 2.) I taught middle school for 17 years!! The best way you can help her is to comfort her, let her use you as a sounding board, don't say things like "I'm sure it's not that bad" (because to HER it IS that bad) - reassure her that things WILL get better and easier in time. And, most importantly, make her go to school. She may get sick to her stomach and even throw up, but MAKE her go to school (they have restrooms and trash cans). It sounds cruel, but if you coddle her and take her home, she will only learn that if she's sick (which, by the way, she really IS), she gets to stay home. You have to teach her to deal with the problem, not avoid it. Encourage her to join a club at school - something she's interested in. Take her to athletic games and sit with her - better yet - take her and one or two of her FRIENDS to an athletic game so they can socialize with each other and maybe others at the game. Little steps are important. I wish I could talk to you on the phone. There is so much I could tell you. Oh, yeah - don't YOU stress out! (At least not in her presence.) You need to be her cheerleader - and make sure she gets her work done, too - actually sit at the table WITH her if she'll let you - show her you're willing to take time to really help, not just give lip service. Ask if she has any projects that you can go shopping together for - even if it's just to Wal-Mart - and, again - if there are projects, that means other kids have them too - invite a friend or two over to work on the projects together (this worked wonders with my son's 9th grade history class last year - we had a blast!!) - heck, make it a weekend sleepover - take the girls shopping for supplies (make sure the other moms know and send money or supplies - some moms are into crafts and might already have a lot of stuff they can use) - Get in there and help your girl be involved in school, not just a wallflower!
2006-09-28 09:50:41 · answer #2 · answered by teacherhelper 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
middle school is the toughest tie in a persons life. everyone is so superficial, and they all want to be the best so the try to find ways to hurt other people like picking on them to make themselves feel better. the saddest part is that some people can suffer long term from constant torture. watch her. i was picked on so much because people called me fat, and the emotional trauma was so bad that i attempted suicide several different times, and i developed eating disorders. there is really not much you can do except talk to her , and help her to trust you , so she can confide in you and tell you what they are doing and saying to her. believe me if she cant trust you then she wont tell you. its embarassing. and in doing this you can come up with a way to stop it by taking legal action against the school for letting this nonsense go on.
if that stress is relieved then she might have an easier time with homework, and dealing with things because she will be more confident.
try this because no one ever helped me. i wish they had, but they couldnt understand.
2006-09-28 10:14:15 · answer #3 · answered by xsilverxthornx999 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well if the negativity is coming from the people she hangs out with maybe she needs a new crowd to hang with. If she gets involved in sports that helps reduce stress. When I was in middle school I was a cheerleader and played basketball. I took my frusterations out on the court and I always felt better.
2006-09-28 09:53:07 · answer #4 · answered by Angie M 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Every middle schooler goes through something like that or another. Tell her that is important to be nice to everyone, and that everyone will treat her the same way. And about the homework, if she has a study hall, tell her to take advantage of that. Also, help her get organized and to use a planner to keep track of everything. She will get the hang of it! And get her involved in school activites so she will meet new people and find what she's good at.
Good luck! She will get through it!
2006-09-28 12:17:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Moving to middle school especially in bigger cities...where you get there and maybe know 1 or 2 kids can be devastating. She is also going through puberty and that is where most of her feelings are coming from. School really isn't that bad, at least it doesn't sound like it....but puberty is something to get used to / handle / and scream...My g/f's and I get together and talk about our teenagers...it's the only way to stay sane.
2006-09-28 10:28:42 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
try to help her with her homework and that stuff (only if she wants you to). Talk to her about the negativity and try to come up with some ways to help her ignore it. if she doesn't want to talk about it give her some time and ask her a few days later. You should talk to the Principal if she is being harassed by other students or her teachers, also try taking her to a movie or something so she can get her mind off it for a while, if its really bad you might want to look into switching schools!
2006-09-28 13:48:18 · answer #7 · answered by Layne [Capricorn Sister] 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell her high school is way different!(social wise)
Tell her its OK to act goofy,and that middle school girls are usually really immature because they think they know EVERYTHING(you daughter is an exception)
Have her get in other clubs and activities outside of school,and take some pamprin!
2006-09-28 11:43:29 · answer #8 · answered by Myaloo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just let her vent and be a good listener, try to remeber what it was like for yourself during that time. Maybe she needs to hang out with new people and try differents sports it is hard in junior high especially if people make fun of her.
2006-09-28 11:41:58 · answer #9 · answered by chiefs fan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sadly, there is NOTHING you can do. Does she have an older brother or sister? That allways got me thrugh.
After it's over, high school comes, and people grow up.
2006-09-28 10:51:19 · answer #10 · answered by zealot_guy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋