My son is being bullied

Hi there, maybe you can do something to help him being included outside of school? I did have friends in school at that age but not later really, and got bullied a lot, but one thing that made it bearable somehow was to know that I would see my friend in the afternoon, and at hindsight I'm actually grateful she didn't go to the same school as me (which would have been the more likely option really) because she may well also have been taught there that I'm not one to be friends with. The thing is, 9 or so is probably about the age when kids start to choose friends or simply who to play with not just based on who they like or don't but also whom the cool kids approve of. So being excluded doesn't necessarily mean that no other kid likes you, just that the cool ones have figured out that you aren't quite as cool. But outside school those things don't apply, it's much easier to have what would be seen as an unlikely friendship in school.

Maybe you find something he really enjoys where he can meet other children outside school? If he's good at sports then that may be an obvious one, but if he isn't that's probably not the place to start with. But maybe some sort of regularly volunteering where kids can join (the local animal home for example or something of that sort), something non-competitive would probably make it easier, and where he can just be himself for the activity it is about, so he can be more relaxed than with things he constantly finds challenging.

Hi there, maybe you can do something to help him being included outside of school? I did have friends in school at that age but not later really, and got bullied a lot, but one thing that made it bearable somehow was to know that I would see my friend in the afternoon, and at hindsight I'm actually grateful she didn't go to the same school as me (which would have been the more likely option really) because she may well also have been taught there that I'm not one to be friends with. The thing is, 9 or so is probably about the age when kids start to choose friends or simply who to play with not just based on who they like or don't but also whom the cool kids approve of. So being excluded doesn't necessarily mean that no other kid likes you, just that the cool ones have figured out that you aren't quite as cool. But outside school those things don't apply, it's much easier to have what would be seen as an unlikely friendship in school.

Maybe you find something he really enjoys where he can meet other children outside school? If he's good at sports then that may be an obvious one, but if he isn't that's probably not the place to start with. But maybe some sort of regularly volunteering where kids can join (the local animal home for example or something of that sort), something non-competitive would probably make it easier, and where he can just be himself for the activity it is about, so he can be more relaxed than with things he constantly finds challenging.