"No one came to his party"
All any parent wants is for their child to be happy so when you see them struggling in some form of life, you can't help but worry.
When it comes to friendships, we all want our children to feel loved, cared for and happy. We want them to be friends with kind, like-minded people who bring our the best in them.
But what if they don't have any friends?
One mum recently revealed that her son, who is 14-years-old, has no friends.
"My oldest turns 14 tomorrow. He has always struggled to make friends and it has gotten harder as he has gotten older," she confessed on Reddit.
"Elementary school was hard but middle school was downright brutal. He's got a lot of issues with confidence, codependency, and empathy. Combine that with not liking things that most teen boys are into (sports, girls, social media, etc) and he's left out even in groups that initially accept him," she explained.
The mum said she often encourages him to be social and to join clubs, but he's never had much luck in building friendships "that sustain outside of school."
She continued to share that her son doesn't even want to celebrate his birthday because of his lack of friends.
"He said he just wants to sleep in without his siblings waking him up. I asked if he wanted to go out to dinner and he declined. He asked for us to not get him a cake either and doesn't really want his birthday acknowledged."
The mum added: "I'm certain it's because of the lack of friends issue."
"When he was 7 and no one came to his party, we were still able to make it fun for him. I wish he was 7 again. This vs were easier back then."
Luckily, other parents showed her that she isn't alone and that a lot of children really struggle to make friends.
Some opened up about their own experiences and offered her words of wisdom to help with the situation.
One user shared: "I was a loner in middle school and high school. I did not do drugs or drink. I also did not do sports. Eventually I made a few friends but it was something I had to discover on my own. I know it made my mom sad and worried. Sometimes kids don’t fit into the typical box and it can be isolating."
"It's so hard for parents to watch but at this age I think the only thing we can do is keep an eye out and hope for the best," said another.
It's important to remember that sometimes friends come into our lives at a later stage. The best thing any parent can do is make sure their child is getting extra care and attention from the people in their life so they don't feel completely isolated.
"My mom would often say “you’ll find your people in college when you go into the real world” one user added.
