Niamh Shackleton
A mum has taken to Reddit to ask for advice after her son appeared to have been given the cold shoulder by his friendship group.
Navigating your way through school is hard enough as it is without the politics of friendships adding extra pressure to the situation, and this poor lad sounds like he's having a tough time.
There's nothing worse than not being invited to an event that all your pals are at, and this is what one woman's son experienced.
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"My 14-year-old son just found out his friends made plans without him. He's acting fine, but I can tell he's cut up about it. Is there anything I can do?" the concerned mother wrote on Reddit as she asked for people's help.
"He had actually asked them all (6 boys) if they wanted to go to the cinema, but they all declined.
"Then he found out they all went without asking him.
"He's so confused and asking me why they'd do that, but brushing it off like it doesn't matter. I know him though, this will be playing on his mind."
She went on to say that when the boys are at school together that everything seems normal between them.
She also said that she doesn't believe her son is being bullied, either.
"I'd suggest to him to maybe look for new friends, but he doesn't have any hobbies other than gaming, although he has tried everything but just couldn't get a grasp on anything," the worried mum went on.
She further asked: "Should I just let it play out and let life sort itself out, friends-wise?"
Many people on the thread empathised with the youngster's situation, while others urged her to let things 'play out' between them.
Someone said: "As hard as it is, I think you just need to let it play out. This is such a normal part of growing up and changing friendship dynamics."
"There’s nothing you can do that won't make the situation worse, apart from being there to support him when he needs it," urged another.
Meanwhile, others suggested to the mum to take him out to do something he enjoys to take his mind off things.
"I would offer to go with him if it’s a film he really wants to see," someone said.
"But personally on the friendship side I would just let it play out it’s just life and a lesson."
A second went on: "Perfect time to offer to do something with him that he wants to do. Do you have a car? Tenner bet there's somewhere he'd like to go."
Replying to this, a fellow Redditor said that their mum did this for them when they were younger and they found that it 'made the world of difference'.