6 Tips To Help Children Who Feel Rejected
How can we help children who feel rejected? Unfortunately, there are many children or teenagers who feel rejected these days. Most of the time, they feel this way because they perceive that they are different from their peers, friends or family, whether physically, verbally, sentimentally or intellectually.
Children who excel at grades, who are physically different, or who like to dress well in relation to peers and friends are the most likely to be ignored and left out. However, it is not essential that it be that way. Sometimes, there are children who feel rejected even without having any of the characteristics mentioned above.
short term consequences
Children rejected by their friends or peers see their psychological well-being threatened, as these circumstances create significant stress for the child. Some of the consequences this rejection can have are:
- Increased anger and aggression.
- Negative image of yourself.
- Anxiety and depression symptoms.
- Pain psychosomatic (headache, stomach pain, insomnia, etc.).
- Difficulty relating to others.
- Social isolation.
- Loss of interest and lack of energy.
- Problems with concentration and attention.
- Learning difficulties and problems at school.
- Inability to appreciate what you have.
- Self-esteem issues.
Tips to help children who feel rejected
Parents can help their children if they suspect they are facing a situation of peer rejection. Below, we’ll look at some tips to help children who feel rejected.
Encourage them not to go after anyone
We have to explain to the child, in an age-appropriate way, that if a friend or colleague has left them behind and doesn’t want their company, they don’t have to keep trying to please them or be friends with them.
If a group of children or peers doesn’t accept her as she is, it’s not worth offering her friendship because there are certainly other children who have similar tastes and with whom she can feel good.
Encourage communication to help children who feel rejected
We must talk to the little one, listen to him and understand how he feels. We don’t have to treat him as a victim, nor can we give the impression that there is no solution to this situation. For example, if the child has not been invited to a birthday, we can explain that there will certainly be many other birthdays that he can have fun. The most important thing is that she understands and expresses what she is feeling if it happens again at another time.
work on social skills
Children often don’t know how to relate to others. They are embarrassed to start conversations with other children or maybe they don’t know how to do it.
Therefore, it is important to work with them on the different social skills that help us to relate, especially in more difficult situations, such as when it is necessary to resolve conflicts, in addition to explaining the importance of assertiveness, self-control, etc.
Strengthen self-esteem to help children who feel rejected
When a child is rejected in the first place, it is their self-esteem that is damaged. She feels inferior and compares herself to others. Therefore, it is essential to work to strengthen this aspect.
We should talk to the little one and try to minimize the feeling of rejection, explaining that he is not alone, that he has his family and that he can always make new friends.
Another thing we must make the child understand is that he is not to blame for having been rejected, but that others are not like him or have the same tastes. The solution is to look for friends with the same tastes, as they certainly exist.
Talk to the school and ask for help.
Parents are not present at the school and therefore do not know exactly what goes on inside. Therefore, it is important that we enlist the help of our children’s teachers to see their version of events.
If all of the above tips don’t improve the situation, it would be necessary to talk to the teacher so that he can tell us what is really happening with our child at school and if it has been observed that he is being rejected by his peers.
If necessary, we can talk to other parents to solve this problem or even ask the teacher to help you at school level, as the child’s performance decreases as a result of this circumstance.
Seek professional help if necessary
If we notice that our child is feeling very bad, that he is sad most of the day, that he has no energy and that he has lost interest in everything around him, it would be convenient to seek the help of a professional so that he can work with the child and bring the necessary skills to be able to face this or other situations, if they recur.
Ultimately, these tips can help children who feel rejected, even though they may not be enough. Sometimes this situation of rejection turns into bullying, and it is important to detect the problem to find a solution.
If, as parents, we don’t know what to do in this situation or don’t have the necessary strategies to help our child, following the tips presented can be very helpful, as well as asking a mental health professional for help, as they will guide us in personalized way according to our child’s case.
