Do you think your mom doesn’t like your friends? Well, she may have good reasons not to like them, or she may just think she has good reasons not to like them. It’s even possible that you are responsible for why she doesn’t like them.

Here are 10 possible reasons for you to consider.

1. Parental influence. This first reason is one that any parent may experience. Ever since your birth, your mom has been one of the strongest influences in your life, and now that you are spending more time with your friends, she may fear that she is losing that strong influence with you.
2. Your friend’s parents. It is possible that your mom knows, or thinks she knows, something about your friend’s parents of which she disapproves. This may cause her to transfer that disapproval to your friend. It may not be fair, but it’s possible that she thinks “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
3. Attire and/or appearance. Does your friend wear clothes that your mom finds distasteful, or, does your friend have tattoos or piercings that she finds repellent? Once again, it may not be fair, but if she doesn’t know them, she will naturally make a judgment based on their appearance.
4. Your friend’s language and manners. Does your friend use language around your mother that she finds inappropriate? Or, does your friend display rude behavior around your mother? Either of these will cause her to take an immediate dislike toward your friend.
5. Your language and manners. Do you use language that she disapproves of when your friends are around? Do you become less considerate of your mother or other family members when your friends are around? Either of these can affect how she feels about your friends.
6. Something she knows, or something that you’ve said about your friend. It may be that she knows something about your friend that bothers her. It could be something she’s heard from a teacher, or from another parent. It could even be something that she’s heard you say about your friend that has caused her to dislike that friend.
7. Video games, music, and movies. When your friends are around, do you watch movies or play video games that she disapproves of? She may hold that against them, assuming that their presence is the reason that you are watching movies or listening to music, or playing games that don’t meet with her approval.
8. Your grades. Have your grades fallen since you’ve been hanging out with a particular friend or group of friends? You can bet that she will assume your grades are falling due to the influence of your friend or friends.
9. You’re getting in trouble at school or in other public places. If you’ve begun getting in trouble in ways and places that you haven’t been in trouble before, she is likely to assume that it is because of the person or people with whom you are hanging out.
10. Things she doesn’t know about your friend. Is your friend a responsible person and a hard worker when necessary? Does your friend do volunteer work, or take good care of younger siblings? Is your friend especially kind to animals, or people who are disadvantaged in some way? Does your friend actually help you be better in school, or cause you to act in better ways toward others? If any of these things are true of your friend, and your mom doesn’t know about it, you are missing an opportunity to help her learn to like your friend.

There may be plenty of good reasons that your mother doesn’t like your friends that are not listed here, or, there may be no good reasons at all. If you really want to know,  the best thing you can do is talk to her. Be direct and ask, in a non-confrontational manner, what she doesn’t like, and tell her about the things that you think she will like. In the end, it’s all about communication.