{"id":3552,"date":"2026-01-21T20:37:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T02:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/?p=3552"},"modified":"2026-01-21T20:37:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T02:37:55","slug":"helping-teens-develop-close-friendships-tips-for-parents-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/?p=3552","title":{"rendered":"Helping Teens Develop Close Friendships: Tips for Parents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Few things are as important to teens\u2019 emotional development and maturity as having friends that they can rely on and confide in. But teens aren\u2019t all equally good at developing close friendships. What can parents do to help them along? What teen parenting tips<\/strong> and strategies exist for helping teens with friendships <\/strong>and encouraging meaningful relationships? Here\u2019s what the experts say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teach Them About Friendship<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first and most important thing parents can do is to teach their teens about friendship. \u201cParents can and should talk to their teens about what friendships should feel like,\u201d says social worker Heather Monroe, \u201cand help them understand how to be a good friend.\u201d She suggests that parents ask their teens to reflect on the qualities that are important to them in a friendship, since friendships are more likely to last when teens share similar values. Family therapist Cheryl Somers adds that parents should encourage their teens to reflect on questions like: \u201chow do you let people see what you value, what\u2019s important to you, and who you really are?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Involve Them in Extracurricular Activities<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best ways for teens to find friends who share the same values and interests as them is to participate in extracurricular activities like school clubs, sports, and volunteer work. \u201cThis way they can meet people with common interests and provide a springboard for conversation,\u201d says Jan Hamilton, the founder and CEO of Doorways<\/em>, a youth counseling service. Simply put, extracurricular activities give teens something to bond around and talk about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explain to your teens that even if they\u2019ve common interests with other people, it can take a long time to develop a really close relationship. They learn that every person they meet and like isn\u2019t necessarily going to be their next BFF.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Have Realistic Expectations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain to your teens that even if they\u2019ve common interests with other people, it can take a long time to develop a really close relationship. They learn that every person they meet and like isn\u2019t necessarily going to be their next BFF. Ms. Somers suggests that parents help their teens distinguish between different types of friends, like \u201cthe difference between a friend you sit next to in class and chit-chat with, and a friend who really understands and values you.\u201d Deb Dunham of Grown & Flown<\/em>, a well-known parenting blog, agrees. She says that parents should teach their teens to be realistic and not expect any one friend to satisfy all their needs: \u201cThere are many flavors of friends. Friends for fun times, for confiding in, for challenging you and supporting you. Know which is which.\u201d Adults know this is true; teens need to learn this too so that they don\u2019t have unrealistic expectations and get disappointed when they meet someone new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teens who have a positive relationship with the adults in their lives are more likely to have good relationships with their peers.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Michael Chambers, Professor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Importance of Adult Relationships<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encourage your teens to develop close relationships with adults other than you, like coaches, teachers, and their bosses if they have a part-time job. \u201cTeens who have a positive relationship with the adults in their lives,\u201d says professor of education Michael Chambers, \u201care more likely to have good relationships with their peers.\u201d When teens feel love and support from trusted adults, they develop the confidence to meet new people and develop close relationships with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be A Role Model<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, remember that, ultimately, your teens learn more from seeing what you do than from anything you tell them to do. So, be a role model and show them what a good friend is like. As clinical psychologist Dr. Justin Coulson puts it \u201cshow your children how friendships should function by having good friends around you who\u2019re trustworthy, loyal, fun, and who share your values and goals.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Few things are as important to teens\u2019 emotional development and maturity as having friends that they can rely on and confide in. But teens aren\u2019t all equally good at developing close friendships. What can parents do to help them along? What teen parenting tips and strategies exist for helping teens with friendships and encouraging meaningful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[107,288,207,189],"ppma_author":[19],"class_list":{"0":"post-3552","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tweens-teens","8":"tag-advice","9":"tag-friendships","10":"tag-parenting","11":"tag-teens"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iStock-627002150.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-12 07:04:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"authors":[{"term_id":19,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"admin_7odr8iqj","display_name":"admin","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1feee162e18d4afc874b0031f2d89eb6bdad45c74ffc261dcdf93c2cd863d4d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3552"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3554,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3552\/revisions\/3554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3552"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fppma_author&post=3552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}