T he Cool Kids and the Outcasts
I was an “outcast” in elementary school. My offense: I wore thick glasses that seriously magnified my eyes. So I was deemed not worthy to participate in any activities with the “cool” kids.
Sadly, similar scenarios replay themselves in every school today: The cool kids determine who they like and who they don’t, who’s acceptable to be around and who’s not. Not only can your physical appearance exile you to the outcasts, but also what you wear, your music and your friends. And the cool hierarchy demands strict conformance by their spineless followers.
My son says he falls somewhere in the middle at school, neither a cool kid nor an outcast. He’s permitted to socialize with the so-called cool kids. But says he chooses not to join them most of the time because they’re so rude. In his class, the cool kids determine who can eat at the cool lunch table and then send the other students away. The cool kids approve who’s allowed to play the cool games at recess. They also establish exclusive rules, such as never talking to an outcast.
I know the cool kid behavior will only accelerate in the middle school years. In this issue of MOMSnext, Tricia Goyer offers some excellent tips on how to prepare our kids to handle this peer pressure.
Mary Darr, Editor
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