Our 6-year old has been having problems, socially, or so she says. I’m not sure whether to believe it’s as severe as she says, because we just threw a birthday party and she was very much the center of attention for the kids that were able to make it, and well, the limitations of her age.
But when she has mentioned it, she gets very emotional and says something to the effect that her friends don’t want to play with her; she’s made mention of it a few times.
The problem is, as her father, I’ve been antisocial my entire life, and her mom’s not much of a social butterfly, either. And I feel unequipped and powerless in how to guide her.
Any advice for a way forward would be appreciated more than I could ever convey.
I’m running into something similar with one of my kids (who is around the same age as your daughter). He’s started throwing the term “bullying” around left, right and center.
Just at a sports game today he said the coach was bullying him. I literally watched the interaction 20 seconds before he said that, and the coach was telling him sternly that he needed to play in a certain position. He said it pretty nicely to. He just had to get stern because my son want listening. The way my son put it you’d have thought the coach was smacking him around and taunting him.
So my advice is to try to observe the interactions your daughter is having first hand. Because it’s possible she’s misreading it exaggerating them. And that’s a whole nother issue.