Hi Cathy, My 10 year old son is a lovely boy 95% of the time, but recently he has bouts of being moody and does not want to play with his friends so much. I’ve asked him if there is anything wrong and he has reassured me there isn’t. I spoke to his teacher and she says he is doing fine.
Jo
CG: Dear Jo, the behaviour you describe is quite normal for a boy aged 10 however it was sensible to rule out any other cause, for example, bullying. Boys of his age are often incredibly sociable one day and withdrawn the next. Can I suggest you read my book Happy Kids which has a chapter dealing with children of this age. In the meantime let your son socialize when he wants to and have time alone when he wants to. I would only be worried if he had suddenly stopped seeing his friends completely and spent hours alone in his room and withdrew from the family, but from what you are saying this is not the case. Keep in touch and let me know how you get on please. Cathy
Pause For Thought: The art of raising children is knowing what negative behaviour we can reasonably overlook while praising all positive behaviour.
