One of the many challenges of growing up is contained
within the sometimes mysterious world of peer culture: misunderstood
meanings of social behavior. The emphasis on dichotomizing peer behavior
as either good or bad, reinforced by the broad definitions of bullying,
has planted the seeds for many children to label peers as either nice
or mean. This sets the stage for personalization, avoidance, accusation,
and other social traps that are the result of skewed perceptions.
Difficulty understanding social shades of gray can be resolved when
children learn how to consider that the vast majority of peer behavior
is not nice nor mean, but in-between. If your child is often caught in the black and white
blinders of peer perception read on for ways to help them appreciate the
subtleties and shades of peer life.
