I am a 17-year-old guy who is very shy and does not have any female friends. Whenever I go in front of girls my age, I get nervous and conscious about my physical appearance. I am very skinny and have a lot of marks on my face. I just want to know what girls think about my type guys and what do they expect from us when we approach them?
As a teenager, when you do not feel good about your body image, it is likely that you feel uncomfortable in the presence of others, especially girls. Teenage boys feel socially awkward with girls when they do not fit the popular idea of being muscular and ‘macho’. Some teenagers start maturing and develop masculine features early while some are late bloomers and they continue to physically develop until they are 21.
You could try working on your body image and develop social skills. Instead of thinking what you should talk, be interested in listening to them. Active listening is a good way to make friends. It also communicates care, interest and acceptance which are what friends expect. Be open-minded and follow the conversation rather than focusing on what to say next.
At times I feel as though no one loves me or cares for me. I come from a lower middle class family with abusive parents who treat me like an outcast in my own home. They yell and hit me for every word I utter. Off late I have started keeping quiet because I do not want to get belted. All this has been affecting my studies and I fear it will ruin my career as well. I want to go to NYC and become a fashion designer. But I fear that in the present conditions that I am in, I may never be able to achieve my goals. Please help.
Children get emotionally scarred when abusive parents displace their anger and disappointment on them. When parents are impatient with their children, it is often because they can’t tolerate their own helplessness due financial or family constraints.
Because parents provide home and facilities for education, it doesn’t mean that they can ill treat children. Physical abuse is not a right for parents to exercise; in fact it is violations of child’s right. You could approach family counselling or child protection services to end the abuse.
