I'm very worried about my 13 year old daughter.
She is an only child, always been around other adults and since being young had always struggled to make friends with her peers.
She is now at secondary school and although has some occasional friends, has never developed a best friend and her friendships only seem to dip in and out.
My daughter is such a lovely, friendly sincere girl. She is a little quirky in her mannerisms and can some times waffle on (y my own admission) about stuff for a bit too long which doesn't help her cause as people either lose interest or tell her to shut up! However I think a lot of this is nervousness as well.
She is currently in scouts and coming to the end of her time in scouts before moving onto Explorers. however, she told me she doesn't want to be the new girl again and is scared of bullying again and being ridiculed.
Her enthusiasm for getting involved in groups, activities and social situations appear to be worsening as she prefers to stay away from groups rather than trying to put herself out there.
I try to encourage her and want so much for her to build her confidence and esteem but at the same time I don't want to overpower or be overbearing and molicodle her - she does have to learn to stand on her own two feet - but i'm struggling.
I hate the fact she's an only child and I think this hasn't helped when compared to peers with siblings who have had the chance to develop their social skills.
Can anyone give any advice on how to deal with this!
She is an only child, always been around other adults and since being young had always struggled to make friends with her peers.
She is now at secondary school and although has some occasional friends, has never developed a best friend and her friendships only seem to dip in and out.
My daughter is such a lovely, friendly sincere girl. She is a little quirky in her mannerisms and can some times waffle on (y my own admission) about stuff for a bit too long which doesn't help her cause as people either lose interest or tell her to shut up! However I think a lot of this is nervousness as well.
She is currently in scouts and coming to the end of her time in scouts before moving onto Explorers. however, she told me she doesn't want to be the new girl again and is scared of bullying again and being ridiculed.
Her enthusiasm for getting involved in groups, activities and social situations appear to be worsening as she prefers to stay away from groups rather than trying to put herself out there.
I try to encourage her and want so much for her to build her confidence and esteem but at the same time I don't want to overpower or be overbearing and molicodle her - she does have to learn to stand on her own two feet - but i'm struggling.
I hate the fact she's an only child and I think this hasn't helped when compared to peers with siblings who have had the chance to develop their social skills.
Can anyone give any advice on how to deal with this!