Reader Wisdom: When your teen feels like an outcast
A young reader shares her experience of feeling like an outcast and offers advice to parents of teens
A reader named Alli added her comments to a prior blog post: My daughter feels like an outcast at school. While not the total answer, she tells how parental support was important in helping her overcome the adverse effects of bullying.
Alli wrote: I am now 21 years old and I was this girl at 13. It’s hard to live this life and I’m sure it’s difficult to watch your daughter go through this.
I had trouble making friends in high school, but I made friends. I was not a drinker or promiscuous and that made me an outsider, but my dad taught me that people who did these things weren’t bad people and that turned me around. Some of my friends did some bad things but that didn’t influence me. I finally found my place.
Then, I went to college. I relied on my studies from a young age and now I’m a senior at Georgia Tech. I am comfortable in my own skin and I have friends. Life wasn’t easy in the beginning, but I taught me to be tough, to be proud of who I am, and how to be a true friend.
I believe that all of this success is due to the support from my parents. They were always there for me. I didn’t go a day without hearing someone was proud of me. I still call them every day for advice or just to talk. My advice is to be there for your daughter. You can’t protect her from bullies or being excluded, but you can make her the best woman she can be and if people don’t accept her then, screw them.
Category: Bullies, Child and adolescent friendships, Mean girls
Great wisdom!