No one is suggesting you have your child in a situation where he's bullied Lori. I'm a homeschooler and a big advocate for putting the emotional health of kids at the center of educational decision making.
The article you posted contains this passage: "Behaviorally what starts happening is you avoid interactions and situations that could be quite positive for you."
This is what I'm getting at. How do you acknowledge the negative and move on in a way that allows you to engage in more positive and meaningful relationships with other people. Dwelling on every small negative comment or imagining an "Oh" contains shunning is not helping a child build the sorts of social connections that are protective against anxiety and depression.
The question is can we find ways in our lives to nurture optimism and positive feelings of goodwill and security in relationships with other people. How can we find ways to acknowledge challenges but also keep them in perspective by focusing more of our energy on nurturing the positive aspects of our relationships with other people?
