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Reset Point

My friend L has a daughter going into high school this year. The middle school years were tough for this kid. From being happy and outgoing in elementary school she turned reclusive and mopey in middle school. 

Its almost as if she wished to become invisible the spotlight that shone on the attractive and athletic and made the imperfections of the rest that much more pronounced. I have know this kid most of her life and know her to be bright, funny and curious. She was always comfortable in conversations with adults and older kids. 

“Children who are not attractive and children who are not athletic become increasingly unpopular over time, suggesting that they must endure the indignities of powerlessness to remain attached to the peer group, a position that eventually takes a toll on individual well-being,” 

Thankfully for this child, the struggles of middle school did not result in her resorting to any kind of substance abuse. But it definitely diminished her potential to be who she might have otherwise been. Hopefully, there is way for her to reset that in high-school and return to the person she had once been,

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