17 year old daughter friendship problem
2 answers /
Last post: 17/04/2023 at 9:50 am
Hi, hopefully you can give me some advise how I can help my daughter. She has had a friendship with a young girl since start of high school, last couple of years they’ve become closer and are best friends, but just over the last week or 2 something has changed, my daughter doesn’t know what has happened, they still snap each other but things just aren’t the same. She was meant to pick her up on Friday night but never turned up!
she spent the whole night crying to me and my hearts breaking for her!
she’s the nicest, loving, kind, caring kid I could ever ask for and does not deserve to be treated like this!
Any advice on how I should handle the situation ti try and help her! I hate seeing her like this as she deserves all the happiness In the world! She doesn’t really have any other friends she can talk to about it as she’s quite shy.
All help appreciated.
Hi Jane,
I’m Kayleigh, one of the parent supporters at Netmums. You sound like a really caring mum Jane and you want to be there for your daughter. When we see our child in pain, I think sometimes we want to be able to take it away or resolve the issue for them, it is difficult not to have control in a situation where we see they’re hurting. I wonder if you might relate to this feeling?
I think you are already providing comfort by being present for your daughter, acknowledging her feelings and letting her talk this out. It sounds like you have a close relationship where she feels comfortable to share with you. Unfortunately, you can’t change how her friend is behaving.
You could consider allowing your daughter to explore how the relationship has drifted and perhaps you could talk through tips on how she could talk to her friend about how she is feeling. Young Minds have some helpful guidance for young people struggling with friendships here: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/coping-with-life/friends/#Ifyouarestrugglingwithafriendship
If your daughter’s social circle is limited, you could also encourage her to see if there are any local groups she may like to attend to give her an opportunity to meet new people as well
If you would like any further help from the parent supporter team, we have a child mental health board within our drop in clinic here where you can make a thread: https://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/drop-clinic-984/child-mental-health-1029/
Wishing you all the best,
Kayleigh