What to do when your child says ‘Nobody Likes Me’

I was speaking on BBC Radio recently about friendship issues.

Here are a few of my ideas about what to do when your child says ‘Nobody Likes Me’:

1. Offer a variety of opportunities for your child to play and socialise informally at home. Host a play date that’s not too long. Have some friends round for tea or lunch and provide perhaps a little structure to their time together to break the ice. Cook cakes or pizza, do an art activity or a science activity  in the garden.

This will help your child relax and take the pressure off them.

2. Teach your child to smile and have open body language and to stay balanced when things get tough.

3. Sympathise but don’t over empathise with your child and keep YOUR perspective – don’t water a problem as it will grow and your child will lose even more confidence in their own ability to make friends easily.

4. Build, build, build your child’s self esteem – see all my recent blogs about Tips To Build Your Child’s Self Esteem.

5. Help your child see their own strengths. Tell them also what you love, respect and admire about them and get Grandma, Dad, their brother or sister to tell them too. ( I do a workshop on this very 5 Step Self Esteem Process.

6. Listen properly to your child without criticism, judgement or dismissing their worries or concerns.

7. Teach your child to be kind, give compliments, help someone at school when they get stuck, open the door for someone and simply SMILE.