From: The Wall Street Journal
Your Lonely Child’s Path to a Happier Life
Many children come home from school around this time of year with a lament no parent wants to hear:
“Nobody likes me.”
While childhood inflicts emotional bumps and bruises on most people, feeling rejected by playmates and peers can be particularly painful, according to several recent studies. Left unchecked, that kind of exclusion can trigger self-doubt and anxiety, undermining a child’s well-being and school performance.
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Children’s patterns of relating to others begin forming by 3 or 4, and remain remarkably stable if nothing is done to change them, says Mitch Prinstein, author of “Popular,” a recent book on forming positive social bonds. However, “these are easily modifiable behavioral patterns” that can be changed with coaching and practice, says Dr. Prinstein, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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