Five ways to be the coolest
middle schooler you can be:

1.   Be yourself. Don't worry about what the cool kids think of you. Be true to yourself -- do the things you enjoy and pursue your own interests, even if other kids don't get it. You dont' have to advertise that you love classical music or you watch the History Channel with your dad. Let's face -- some kids won't understand! But don't give up the stuff you love just to be considered cool. It's REALLY cool to be exactly who you are.

2.  Be a kid. No matter what you do to speed things along, you won't be older until you're older! Why rush it? Enjoy being a kid for as long as it lasts. Do stuff that only kids can do -- play outside, use your imagination, be goofy, and don't feel pressured to look and act older than you are. What's REALLY cool is to enjoy every age as it comes.

3.  Be a true friend. Don't you hate it when kids put others down and embarrass people to make themselves seem cool? It's not cool to be cruel, but for some reason, uber popular kids do it all the time. You might be tempted to fall into this trap just to prove you're not at the bottom of the food chain, but don't do it. The coolest kids are the ones who are kind to everyone and treat people the way they'd like to be treated.

4.  Be a homebody. It's great to have friends and to hang out with them when you have time, but it's also cool to spend time at home with your family. Some kids might think it's uncool to have a good relationship with their moms and dads, but the truth is, it's REALLY cool to be close to your parents and siblings. When you spend time at home, you build these relationships. And let's face it -- middle school friends will come and go, but your family will be there for you always!

5.  Do what's right. Sometimes you're stuck between wanting to do the right thing in a certain situation and wanting other kids to accept you and treat you as part of the crowd. Even adults face this problem every now and then. What's really cool is to do the right thing no matter what, because even if you're not uber popular, you'll be respected. In the end, having people think well of you matters more than just being part of the cool crowd. Besides, would you really want to be popular if it meant being dishonest or treating others badly? Remember, there's more to life than being popular in middle school. It may not seem like it today, but middle school doesn't last forever!