Episode 070
Navigating Friendships
Jenna and I chat with Jessica Speer about navigating friendships as a teenager. We talk about how friendships change in middle school and why friendship and social struggles are common in the preteen and teen years. Jessica has a great concept called NRF (Not Really Friends) to help kids realize that not everyone who comes into their life has to be their friend. You can be kind, but you don’t have to have a close relationship with them.
She also has nine friendship truths in her book. We talked about a few of them – Everyone develops friendship skills at a different pace, Friendships have different phases and change over time, Close friendships can be hard to find and may not happen until you are older, and We teach others how we want to be treated by speaking up.
Jessica Speer is the award-winning author of BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? A Girls Guide to Happy Friendships (2021) and Middle School – Safety Goggles Advised (Releasing August 2022). Her interactive books engage and entertain readers by combining the stories of preteens and teens with fun activities, like quizzes and fill-in-the-blanks. Blending humor, a dash of science, and practical insights, her writing unpacks the tricky stuff that peaks during adolescence.
She has a master’s degree in social sciences and explores social-emotional topics in ways that connect with kids. Jessica is regularly featured in and contributes to media outlets on topics related to kids, parenting, and friendship. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two daughters.
You can find more information about Jessica at her website: https://JessicaSpeer.com
Jessica’s Instagram:
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