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Resilient kids learn to function in groups when some peers are poor participants.

School group projects teach lifetime skills of tolerance, managing expectations, and self-sacrifice.

No perfect group exists and no kid is a perfect group participant, including your child.

When my teachers announced a group project, I used to worry about who my group members would be. What if they didn’t do their part? What if they were bad students who didn’t care and brought down the group grade?

When my kids were in school, I found myself reliving the same dilemma: I'd listen to one kid complain about other students' lack of helpful input or worry about how my academically challenged kid would affect the group's morale or grade. If I am honest, I wouldn’t have wanted him assigned to my group!

As a therapist, I have had many sessions with kids, teens, and adults who have suffered great anxiety and interpersonal distress because someone else in a group was not able to function effectively, whether it was for school, sports, work, or an organization. I have also seen how easy it is for parents to respond........

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