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Our six-year-old son is starting to lose his best friends and we worry that he’s turning into an unhappy loner

By Annalisa Barbieri

aturday 19 June 2010

I am concerned about my son’s increasing social isolation. He is six and has always been happier in the company of girls. I’ve recently realised – and remember from my own childhood – that it’s around this age that girls and boys tend to separate socially. His former female best friends are now forming close bonds with other girls and don’t want to spend much time with him any more.

He has little or no interest in football or sport. He seems to be spending most break-times on his own. I’ve asked him, casually, if he ever plays with Samuel or Ben or whoever, but his answer is always the same: “I’m the opposite to the other boys.”

His teacher described him as “a loner”, which she then hurriedly amended to “an observer”…Continue reading