Teenager friendships

[Ineedaholidayyy]

Looking for some advice. My DD is 14 and really seems to struggle making friends. She is very sporty so does a lot of team sports but she just doesn’t seem to interact with others out of school and sport. She is a fantastic girl and I am worried that this will have a long term effect on her confidence. Any advise? Is this normal for some at this age?

Have you chatted with your daughter about why she doesn’t interact much with her peers?

Yes I have started the conversation a few times and it really upsets her so I don’t think that is helping. Part of me keeps thinking that maybe she is a bit more reserved and I don’t want to make it an issue for fear that it will impact her confidence. Maybe I’m not approaching it the right way???

Does she ever express that it bothers her that she doesn’t have many friends?

Everyone is different, some prefer their own company. As long as it doesn’t seem to bother her and she can interact with people if necessary E.g. order food at a restaurant, chats with you and other family, doesn’t just sit in her room - which it doesn’t sound like she does as you said she’s sporty - then I don’t consider it a problem.

If it seems like genuine just preferring to be alone or with a select few people and not social anxiety, I’d just leave her too it

Thank you. No she does not sit in her room, and always prefers to be with us as a family. I would say she is shy but not anxious. Thank you I hadn’t really looked at it that way