There are numerous reasons why a child may not have many, or any, friends. For one, a teenager who is an introvert, an ‘outside the box’ thinker or someone who may not share the same interests as their peers, will often find it more challenging to make meaningful friendships. Likewise, if they lack the necessary social skills or have started a new school, breaking into any social group may be awkward. As a parent it may prove difficult to watch your teenage child seemingly having no friends
Helping your child
As a parent, you have an extremely important and very useful role. You need to deal with your own pain at seeing your teen’s dilemma. Grieve, feel their pain – but privately, never communicate these feelings to your teenager as this will only make them feel worse. In addition, you must recognise that them being alone is not necessarily a catastrophe, and in doing so, you can help them realise that although they may not always like being alone, they can still build a life that that they can feel good about.
Don’t crucify your child for being a loner
is extremely important that you help your teen feel good about themselves intrinsically, so whether they have friends or not, they are happy with who they are. It is important to reflect on the positives in your teenager’s life, help them re-frame their situation so that they may see the positives too. There are other ways of looking at kids who are often alone. Being able to have a good time by yourself is a strength – and it’s our job to remind our teens of that!
