Being Left Out
When your child shares with you that they felt left out at school, it tears you up inside.
You might in mere milliseconds go back to a feeling you had of being left out as a child. You might start going through the Rolodex in your brain of who you’ll contact to fix this atrocity. Or you may not believe them.
You may respond with one of these responses:
“Noone? Come on, not one person to play with?” or “I’m sure tomorrow will be better.”
Instead, try these kinds of statements:
“I’m so glad you’re sharing this with me. That sounds hard. I believe you.”
Our feelings are overwhelming because we feel alone in them. Your kiddos are looking for support in their feelings, not solutions.
This is how you get them to feel less overwhelmed and open to sharing more.
So when they come to you about being left out or about anything hard that happened with their friends, respond in a way that removes their aloneness. This is how you build your child’s resilience.
