Why children may hide being left out by friends from their parents

A child comes home from school quieter than usual. When a parent asks what happened, the answer is simple: “Nothing.” Later, the child mentions that everyone went out without them, that their friends stopped including them in a game, or that a group chat suddenly became quiet. For some children, being left out can hurt. But they may still choose not to tell their parents. It is easy to assume that a child is hiding the problem because it was not important enough to mention. Sometimes the opposite may be true. They may worry that telling an adult will turn a painful friendship problem into a much bigger situation.Research suggests that young people can hold back when they expect embarrassment, disapproval, loss of control or an unwanted adult response.They may not want parents to step inImagine a 12-year-old whose friends have stopped including them during lunch.