PBS Kids GO! It's My Life
Friends Games Video Advice Celebs
Play It
Home
Friends
Family
School
Body
Emotions
Money

Other Friends Topics:

You Said It
What types of things do you and your friends fight about? How do you work things out?

Here's what others said


Offline Activities
Help's Around the Corner
En Español
Parents and Teachers
Parents and Teachers
When Friends Fight: Group Fights
Group of Friends
When a fight involves more than just two people, things get a little complicated. Maybe your circle of friends has split into two groups who haven't been getting
along. Or maybe you're sad and confused because a bunch of your friends have decided to treat you badly, or have even

Topics on
When Friends Fight:
Make Peace, Not War
Think About It
Talk About It
The Importance of "I'm
    Sorry"
Group Fights
Make Up and Move On
Ending Friendships
From the Mentors
Fantastic Fables of Fighting Friends
The Boy Who Needed
    Space
The Girl With Two Faces
Attack of the Rival Friend
The Bickering Buddies
stopped talking to you-- the awful "silent treatment."

Just like with other fights, however, the first thing to do is think about what's going on. Are there just two people at the heart of the fight, and everyone else jumped on board? Is this about two or more friends ganging up on someone? Is this a fight that affects you directly, or are you just involved because somebody expected you to pick sides?

Although it's hard to resist the pressure sometimes, try not to dive into a group fight just because your friends are. If you can, make it clear to everyone that you refuse to take part...and maybe you can be the one to encourage others to start working things out.

If you find yourself at the center of a group fight, it's up to you to start the process that will end it. Figure out who else is at the center, spend some time alone with them, and get talking.

When a group fight just keeps dragging on, it's time to involve a counselor, teacher, or other adult you trust. This does not mean that everyone's "in trouble." Most adults would rather help you solve the problem than just hand out punishments. Your school counselor has had a lot of experience helping groups of kids through fights, and can set up a "mediation" (mediation means finding a solution or compromise) for everyone.

Hopefully, after all of this, your and your friend (or friends) are ready to Make Up and Move On!

Previous

E-mail a friend E-mail this page to a friend    Printable version of this pageGet printable version of this page
Make Up or Break Up
Make Up Or
Break Up
!

Vote Now
Your friend was being mean to you. Later, at recess she/he falls and starts crying. What would you do?
Help him/her to
        the nurse.
Walk away.
Tell someone
        else.
-- From Jackie and
   Sarah, 9



Play It
Crossword Puzzle
Print the "When Friends Fight" Crossword Puzzle!

Watch It
Boys talk about friendship
low-res      hi-res
What is a friend?

You'll need the RealVideo plug-in to view a video clip. If you don't have RealVideo, click here.
Download RealPlayer

Copyright © 2005 CastleWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.