i have an 11 y.o.daughter who just started jr high.she said this evening she was all alone and she has nobody at school.shes an only child which is probably bad enough.shes starting to withdraw to her own world.does anyone have experience or advice???????

I have an 11yr old daughter who started middle school this year. I guess that's the same as jr. high. I think it's good that she came to you. you know alot of kids would'nt.
My daughter has been having stomach aches off and on since school started.
It's hard because we are going thru this anxiety&depression and the last thing we want to do is pass this down to them.
I know Lucinda talks about her on struggle w/her kids and this.
I really don't know what advice I could give you. I just know how you feel.
Is their a woman in her life that she could talk to? She definantly needs you though...having a dad is priceless!
Something that our school handbook said in it was...this age group was very sensitive and having their peers approvel was important to them. It had alot of good advice in it...because they are changing alot! If your still concerned you might could talk to the schools counselor. If that's not an option....just her knowing that your their for her means alot. Giving her praise for even the smallest things can help too.
I hope that helpes...I know how your feeling.
Take-care

Get her involved in SOME kind of activity that she enjoys outside of school. Encourage her to try new things. Once she experiments and finds something she likes, she will likely find other girls who she can relate to.

TONS of girls in junior high feel like this.

Talk to her every day and make sure she knows that she can always come home to support no matter what happens at school. Tell her to invite a friend for dinner or a sleepover, even if not in the same class or school. It WILL get better.

Randy,

My son is an only child. I recommend extracurricular activities as well, academic or sports.

My niece started a scrabble club at O.S.U. She created many opportunities and had fun doing it.
She came to you, that is positive and powerful.
Take advantage of it and truly capitalize on it.

Maybe, she should take a foreign language and learn another culture? Have her write down her dreams and set up short, middle and long-term goals. What is her vision and her plan. Have her take action on her goals and prioritize them according to importance.

Peter

I was an only child, and I grew up on a farm half an hour away from a mining camp. Needless to say I was a lonely child. PLEASE sit down with your daughter and find out her interests. If she mentions something that she may be interested in, even if it's just something she thinks of in passing, enroll her and suprise her with a first visit. She might not take to it, and that's ok. Sometimes knowing what you don't want to do helps you figure out what it is that you DO want to do.

When I was young,(still am, just turned 23 today)I was watching some cartoon and mentioned to my mother that I wanted to learn karate. I quickly forgot about it, but a few days later my mother came home a little early and asked, "Are you ready?" I said "For what?", and she told me I had my first tae kwon do lesson to get to. I got my nose busted by a girl on my first day, but eventually I was training for the olympics.

That being said, sometimes just seing people for an hour or two isn't enough. My parents made extraordinary sacrifices to keep me involved with people, but I was miserable and lonely, and I still am. Sometimes it just works out that way.

I'm not sure if this helped in any way, this is a hard time for her, but it's times like these that define who you are and build character. Encourage her to be outgoing and meet some friends. She's got a lot of time to figure out who she wants to be.

Thanks to all for the suggestions and advice.Its nice to so much support.You guys are great!!!!