The only experience I have with the "drama" is through a friend whose highly gifted daughter seems to thrive on drama. She is attracted to people who have unbelievable things going on in their lives (for high school age kids) and gets obsessed with it, sucked into it. It has been very bad for her academically. This year, her last year of high school, she seems to have cut the connections with crazy drama kids and gotten serious about college applications/scholarships. How does a parent make real life more appealing than the adrenaline rush of soap operas?
The one idea I have on that is to give them opportunities to have excitement and fun that are of a different nature. In middle school, my kids participate in Science Olympiad competition. I am highly involved (it basically consumes 3 months of afternoons). The thrill of competition, winning, going on to state, winning--this is the kind of adrenaline I'm trying to program my kids with. Or cool summer programs that could be academic or enrichment or wilderness. I think drama becomes more entertaining when you're bored, so keep her busy. And away from trash television that has many programs of drama teenagers that perpetuate that behavior.
