My DS is struggling with friendships and I don't know how to help him. He's always had friends throughout the years but these have changed. In year 4 he became part of a group which seemed great but when he started year 5 this group changed, he had issues with one of the boys in the group wanting to isolate him and he ended up moving away from them. He then became part of a friendship with another boy and they were very close.
We start year 6 and this friendship ends (my son's choice) as it wasn't a great friendship with the other boy making fun of my son and making him upset. They no longer talk. My son has moved on, and has been playing with other boys in the year but is struggling with not feeling part of a group. He tells me that he never gets picked by others for pe or for school trips and he is feeling sad that he doesn't have a best friend. He seems to get on well with most in his year, he talks to people in his class and does play with others. But then there are occasions where he has no-one to play with as they are all in their groups and he is on his own. He has told me tonight he is worried about school as he doesnt want to be on his own.
I've talked to him about how it is better to have different friends then one friend, and tried to encourage him to approach the other kids to play with them but I think he struggles with the confidence to do this. He does a martial art twice a week and talks to others there but they are not at his school.
It just makes me sad to see my son worry about being on his own. It doesn't help that I had a tough time at school for a brief while and I am aware I don't have a proportional reaction to hearing him say this. I'm wishing the time away so he can start again at secondary school but then I worry it will just be the same there.