04 August 2026
283: ENCORE: Best of Ask Lisa: Friendship Breakups & Conflict
Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens
About
Your kid comes home devastated after being left out, dropped, or caught in the middle of a friendship blowup. You may want to help, but don’t know what to say—or whether you should step in at all. Take heart: this episode will help you navigate the situation with confidence.
In this encore “Best of Ask Lisa” compilation, Dr. Lisa Damour has curated her most essential guidance on friendship conflict, bullying, and social drama — the stuff that can make the tween and teen years so painful for kids and so hard to watch as a parent. Whether your child is being targeted by peers, doing the excluding, or trying to navigate a friendship that's run its course, you'll walk away knowing exactly what to say and how to help them through it with calm, clarity, and compassion.
💡 YOU'LL LEARN:
- The crucial difference between bullying and conflict, and why getting this distinction right will change how you respond
- Why middle schoolers are so prone to cruelty, and how anxiety about belonging makes meanness a fast track to social power
- How excluding, icing out, and rumor-spreading work as a form of relational aggression — and why kids sometimes gang up to push someone out
- Why social behaviors that used to peak in 7th and 8th grade are now showing up in 9th and 10th grade, and what the pandemic has to do with it
- What to actually say to your kid when they've been left out or dropped, including how to offer a sense of perspective without dismissing how awful it feels
Social challenges are some of the most painful experiences of adolescence. But there’s a lot you can do to help.
________________GET DR. DAMOUR'S FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Guidance, strategies, and tips delivered straight to your inbox → https://drlisadamour.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/
DR. DAMOUR'S BESTSELLING BOOKS
- Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood – https://bit.ly/UntangledBook
- Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls – https://bit.ly/UnderPressuretheBook
- The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents – https://a.co/d/cbOmTKp
UNTANGLING 10TO20 MEMBERSHIP
Premium courses & resources for teens and the adults who care for them → https://lnkd.in/gr52MB-F
VISIT DR. LISA'S WEBSITE → https://drlisadamour.com/
________________
Today's sponsors:
Jones Road Beauty: Use the code ASKLISA for a free full sized Mascara with your first purchase at https://www.jonesroadbeauty.com.
LMNT: Receive a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/asklisa.
Rocket Money: Join at https://www/RocketMoney.com/ASKLISA
Simple Practice: Sign up for a free 7-day trial, and get 50% off your first three months at https://www.simplepractice.com.
________________
Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday.
________________
Episode keywords: friend group dumped, kids friendship breakup, middle school social drama, tween friend problems, teen friend group conflict, child excluded by friends, iced out friend group, middle school bullying, relational aggression kids, how to help child with friend drama, friendship breakup tween, kids mean friends, middle school cliques, how to drop a friend, tween friendship problems, tween social drama, middle school friend group, how to help excluded child
Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this encore “Best of Ask Lisa” compilation, Dr. Lisa Damour has curated her most essential guidance on friendship conflict, bullying, and social drama — the stuff that can make the tween and teen years so painful for kids and so hard to watch as a parent. Whether your child is being targeted by peers, doing the excluding, or trying to navigate a friendship that's run its course, you'll walk away knowing exactly what to say and how to help them through it with calm, clarity, and compassion.
💡 YOU'LL LEARN:
- The crucial difference between bullying and conflict, and why getting this distinction right will change how you respond
- Why middle schoolers are so prone to cruelty, and how anxiety about belonging makes meanness a fast track to social power
- How excluding, icing out, and rumor-spreading work as a form of relational aggression — and why kids sometimes gang up to push someone out
- Why social behaviors that used to peak in 7th and 8th grade are now showing up in 9th and 10th grade, and what the pandemic has to do with it
- What to actually say to your kid when they've been left out or dropped, including how to offer a sense of perspective without dismissing how awful it feels
Social challenges are some of the most painful experiences of adolescence. But there’s a lot you can do to help.
________________GET DR. DAMOUR'S FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Guidance, strategies, and tips delivered straight to your inbox → https://drlisadamour.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/
DR. DAMOUR'S BESTSELLING BOOKS
- Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood – https://bit.ly/UntangledBook
- Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls – https://bit.ly/UnderPressuretheBook
- The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents – https://a.co/d/cbOmTKp
UNTANGLING 10TO20 MEMBERSHIP
Premium courses & resources for teens and the adults who care for them → https://lnkd.in/gr52MB-F
VISIT DR. LISA'S WEBSITE → https://drlisadamour.com/
________________
Today's sponsors:
Jones Road Beauty: Use the code ASKLISA for a free full sized Mascara with your first purchase at https://www.jonesroadbeauty.com.
LMNT: Receive a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/asklisa.
Rocket Money: Join at https://www/RocketMoney.com/ASKLISA
Simple Practice: Sign up for a free 7-day trial, and get 50% off your first three months at https://www.simplepractice.com.
________________
Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday.
________________
Episode keywords: friend group dumped, kids friendship breakup, middle school social drama, tween friend problems, teen friend group conflict, child excluded by friends, iced out friend group, middle school bullying, relational aggression kids, how to help child with friend drama, friendship breakup tween, kids mean friends, middle school cliques, how to drop a friend, tween friendship problems, tween social drama, middle school friend group, how to help excluded child
Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices