Difficulties In Making Friends & Not Enough Time With Friends / Question
Published: January 11, 2008
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I sometimes worry that there is something wrong with me, since I only have 2 friends that I talk to. I sometimes don't even see them once a month. I cyber school from home so I don't talk to other kids often. I have never heard of a 14 year old who rather hang out with my mom than my friends sometimes. Is there something wrong?
Signed: Rather Hang Out With Mom Than Friends
Dear Rather Hang Out With Mom Than Friends,
It sounds like there is something that makes you feel reluctant to hang out with people your own age and that you tend to feel more comfortable and safer in your house and when you are with your mother. While it is more typical for friendships and socializing with peers to become a bigger priority during the teen years, and it is actually a healthy part of adolescent development as a teenager moves towards becoming a more independent young adult, sometimes there are things that get in the way of this process.
TeenHealthFX is unsure why this is an issue for you, but recommends that you consider speaking with a counselor about your concerns. A counselor can help you to better understand what is holding you back from having more interactions with people outside of your home, and can work with you on how to effectively address these contributing factors. In addition, a counselor could work with your mother and anyone else in the house at how to encourage you to form relationships outside the home and help you to become more independent. A counselor could also help you to set up extra-curricular activities for yourself that would allow you to have more peer interactions since you are home-schooled once you feel ready to take that kind of step.
If you live in northern
Signed: TeenHealthFX
About 44% of rape victims are under age 18. Three out of every twenty victims (15%) are under age 12. 
