Is it 'normal' for teens to struggle with eye contact/ conversation?

Heathcote294 · 2023-02-02T16:51:25+00:00

DS is 13, he's going to be doing some volunteering in his spare time, I took him to meet the organiser today. Lovely lady. It was excruciatingly though. He struggled to maintain eye contact, squirmed in his seat and just said 'yes' during the chat, no real conversing. He's the same with his grandparents. Will this naturally get easier for him as he gets older?

Original poster

Heathcote294 · 02/02/2023 16:52

I should add he has no problem chatting and making eye contact with his friends and us at home.

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MissWings · 02/02/2023 16:52

My 13 year old son is the same. He’s fine with teachers he knows well but it takes him a while to open up. He is literally the same. He has plenty of friends etc.

Original poster

Heathcote294 · 02/02/2023 16:55

MissWings · 02/02/2023 16:52

My 13 year old son is the same. He’s fine with teachers he knows well but it takes him a while to open up. He is literally the same. He has plenty of friends etc.

That's really good to hear!

You'd honestly have thought he'd never met another human before. He yawned twice too which I think was the nerves as he's not a rude child, he stifled it the best he could.

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Dottymug · 02/02/2023 16:56

Mine were all like this in their early/mid-teens and they all function perfectly well socially now. Looking back, I was terribly awkward with adults as a young teen too. I think it is totally normal.

Pennyforthezombies · 02/02/2023 16:57

I wouldn’t sweat it, he’s only 13! I cringe when I look back on some of the things my 3 did at that age, including unable to hold eye contact but they’ve all grown into fairly’ish normal adults 😁

MissWings · 02/02/2023 16:59

@Heathcote294

Yep sounds similar. He hasn’t always been this way. I took him to specsavers and it was pretty excruciating as the optician was really nice and asking questions but it was one word answers and really avoiding eye contact.

On the strike day he picked up my youngest child from primary school and a TA said wow don’t you look like your brother and again, zero eye contact and he almost looked angry someone was talking to him.

I don’t really have any concerns as he has lots of friends and on parents evening the teachers are always complimentary about him but he has formed relationships with them. He’s also fine chatting to his sports coaches outside of school. Grandparents can be a struggle which I find bizarre??

Teens hey?

Original poster

Heathcote294 · 02/02/2023 17:02

MissWings · 02/02/2023 16:59

@Heathcote294

Yep sounds similar. He hasn’t always been this way. I took him to specsavers and it was pretty excruciating as the optician was really nice and asking questions but it was one word answers and really avoiding eye contact.

On the strike day he picked up my youngest child from primary school and a TA said wow don’t you look like your brother and again, zero eye contact and he almost looked angry someone was talking to him.

I don’t really have any concerns as he has lots of friends and on parents evening the teachers are always complimentary about him but he has formed relationships with them. He’s also fine chatting to his sports coaches outside of school. Grandparents can be a struggle which I find bizarre??

Teens hey?

Yeh the grandparents thing I really don't get. He's seen them once a week since he was a baby!

Thanks for all the reassurances. Hopefully the lady will understand that he's just going through an awkward phase and he not rude/bored/disinterested!

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