Part II

It’s All About Connections

Human beings are social by nature. We need the connections we make with friends and adults to give us the support we need to face some of life’s adversities. This doesn’t mean we have to surround ourselves with tons of friends or have a “perfect” family, whatever that means, in order to feel support. Not at all. All we really need is to believe that we have a network of people in our lives who understand us and who we can rely on.

Building connections and deriving support from those connections involves developing good social skills so that you feel comfortable around others, having tolerance to different points of view, and knowing how to lean on others when things get difficult. Some of these skills you may already have, and some may really challenge you. But you need to fine-tune these skills as you enter adolescence and the nature of your relationships change and grow.

As we begin this part of your journey toward developing good social skills and cultivating a network of support, I think it’s important for you to take stock of where you currently stand in this regard. Answer the five true/false questions in the quiz now, and come back after reading through the section and completing some of the tasks to see how your perspective may have changed.

The Girl Guide

Quiz #2

Thinking About My Support System

1.  I have friends and family I can trust with my secrets.

True

False

2.  When things are hard, I have people in my life I can turn to for support.

True

False

3.  I feel comfortable asking for help from teachers, family members, or friends.

True

False

4.  It is okay to have disagreements with the friends in my social group.

True

False

5.  I think it’s important for people to be able to express their own points of view, and I like to express my point of view, even when it is different from my friends.

True

False