Eps 544: Middle school friendships with Julietta Skoog

Episode 544

My guest today is Julietta Skoog, my co-founder and the Early Years Lead here at Sproutable.  We’re talking about middle school friendships today.  

We discuss established elementary school friendships changing in middle school.  Julietta shares a recent story about her own middle schooler and when it’s appropriate for parents to get involved in friendship drama.  We talk about the difference between belonging & fitting in, coaching your kid(s) through discomfort, and how important it is to acknowledge and validate how hard our middle schoolers are working.  We end by getting into how we can encourage new friendships & nurture good friendships. 


Guest Description 

Julietta Skoog is a Certified Positive Discipline Advanced Trainer with an Ed.S Degree in School Psychology and a Masters Degree in School Counseling with over 20+ years of experience helping families in schools and homes. She draws from her real-life practical experience working with thousands of students with a variety of needs and her own three children to parent coaching, bringing a unique ability to translate research, child development and Positive Discipline principles into everyday parenting solutions. Her popular keynote speeches, classes, and workshops have been described as rejuvenating, motivating, and inspiring.

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Takeaways from the show

https://www.besproutable.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_6564-scaled.jpg
  • Middle school is messy! 
  • Your sweet, innocent child being exposed to new things 
  • Middle school is a great, lower-stakes time to make mistakes 
  • Reflecting on your own middle school experiences & memories to find compassion for your adolescent 
  • Kids need at least one or two good friends they can count on 
  • Coaching our kids through discomfort 
  • When is the time for parents to get involved in middle school drama? 
  • Listen, acknowledge, validate, believe, and encourage your middle schooler 
  • Middle schoolers need to practice decision making before high school 
  • Encouraging new friendships and nurturing good friendships

What does joyful courage mean to you

I just got a little chill when you said today because I love that I get to think of it just today.  I think of it today, as like, I think about the kids – how much courage they have every day, showing up in those halls of the middle school where kids want to kick their ass, you know?  Just really acknowledging this sweet reminder, it warms my heart a little bit thinking about my own kids and all the kids out there – how much courage their sweet souls have to go out there.  The joyful part for me is just like we say, line up.  This is it.  This is your life – kids and the circus and the whole deal – you’ve got to show up for the fun.  We’ve got to have some lightness.  We’ve got to remember your own little middle school self and give some joy to that little one.

 

Resources

Sproutable 

Julietta’s 6-Week Positive Discipline Class (for parents of young children & elementary aged-children)

Private Coaching with Julietta 

Sproutable on Instagram

 

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