Social Situations
Fear of saying something wrong, avoiding friends, or replaying social interactions.
My child replays conversations in their head and asks if they said something wrong
After any social interaction — talking to a friend, answering a question in class, even a casual exchange at a store — your child mentally replays what they said over and over. They come to you for reassurance: 'Did that sound mean?' 'Do you think they're mad at me?' 'Was that a weird thing to say?' The questions can go on for hours, and no amount of reassurance seems to stick.
They avoid friends because they're afraid of saying something 'bad'
Your child used to love being with friends, but now they're turning down playdates, avoiding lunch groups at school, and spending more time alone. When you ask why, they say things like 'What if I say something mean?' or 'I might accidentally hurt someone's feelings.' They're not being bullied — they're afraid of being the one who causes harm.
My teenager won't text or post online because they fear being misunderstood
Your teenager types a text message, reads it ten times, deletes it, rewrites it, and often gives up without sending anything. Social media is off-limits because 'what if someone takes it the wrong way?' They stare at their phone anxiously, write and erase, and sometimes ask you to read their messages before they send them. For a generation that lives online, your teen is digitally paralyzed.