Being a bright girl can be alienating - not just teacher pleasing but really out there bright.
Our DD found this to be the case - she was basically an ugly duckling socially. Popularity/peer pressure is very important and she when she didn't join in with the nastiness and cattiness her chances of being in the 'Heather Set' were destroyed.
We went to the DYS summit, some DIGs and even hosted one - DD made some meaningful connections there, we also sent her to 'baby CTY' in fifth and sixth grades. The time away from home with her 'tribe' boosted her self confidence enormously. So much so that she is attending a double session of 'real CTY' as I type this rooming with a friend she made at 'baby CTY' last year!
We also have frank and open conversations with our daughter and have had them from an early age so she knows that we support her. She is an only child so she doesn't have an older sibling to get this from. But we have had au pairs with whom DD is increasingly able to relate so we hope that will help on the role model side.
It is going to be an ongoing issue but I think that sixth grade was the worst so far at least. I am hoping that the girl drama and cattiness will lessen next school year (eighth grade).
Our DD has also grown up a lot herself - I think that 10-13 are (hopefully) when self consciousness peak because she is becoming less hampered by it these days which is a trend that continues, we hope.
