Middle School Makeover

Michelle Icard didn’t much like middle school the first time around. Filled with anxiety and social missteps, her experience taught her a lot about feeling like a misfit. Since then, Michelle has dedicated herself to making the middle school years better for kids, parents, and teachers. Her social leadership curricula, Athena’s Path & Hero’s Pursuit, are taught in schools and summer camps across the country. She is a frequent speaker at parenting and educational events and her website MichelleintheMiddle.com is a refuge for parents with questions and concerns about raising tweens.

Introduction: How and Why This Book Works PART ONE The Foundation for Parenting Middle Schoolers 1 What’s a Middle School Makeover? 2 Middle School Brains Are Different 3 Middle School Requires Bravery 4 Talking with Your Middle Schooler, or Not 5 It’s Not Your Problem PART TWO Helping Your Kid Through Real Middle School Problems 1 “Everyone Has an Instagram but Me” Coming to Terms with Your Child’s Entry into the New World of Social Media 2 Goodbye, Birds and Bees—Hello, Porn Answering Your Middle Schooler’s More Advanced Questions About Sex 3 Good Girls Gone Bad Helping When Girls Turn Against Each Other 4 There’s More Than One Way to Be Cool Helping Your Son Make Connections with Other Guys When He Doesn’t Play Sports 5 Put-Downs and Comebacks Preparing to Deal with the Middle School Bully 6 Not My Kid—Oh, Wait . Discovering Your Kid Has Been a Bully, or Maybe Just a Jerk, or Probably Just Human 7 Camis, Tight Jeans, and Booty Shorts, Oh, My! Dodging Fashion Battles with Your Middle Schooler 8 Your “Sneaking” Suspicions Reacting to a Kid Who Goes Behind Your Back 9 Can You Hear Me Now? Living in a Cell Phone World, with a Cell Phone Boy or Girl 10 Going Out, Going Nowhere Understanding the Middle School Dating Scene 11 It’s a Great, Big World out There (Emphasis on Great) Evaluating How Much Independence to Give Your Middle Schooler 12 “Get Him Out of My Room!” Dealing with Sibling Fights and Manipulations 13 Going at Different Speeds Helping Your Socially Immature Kid Find a Comfortable Place in Middle School; Finishing Touches: Your Middle-Age Construction Project