Thank you htw70. You both will be fine. I am from Africa and i grew up in a very rural and remote area. Used to walk to school 3km from my house. Sometimes I would hide in the bushes and not reach school and when my mom found out she would punish me simply because she didn't understand my problem. So I started hating both home and school. I remember one day I ran away from home during school holidays to a distant relative's house and they had to look for me. I was running to find a place where I felt comfortable. I didn't hate my family I just was not feeling comfortable around them. Even now. So treat him they way he is. It's not normal but that's who he is. I now live in a different country 5000miles away from home but still I don't miss my family much as I love them. I just find comfort in being alone. ... View more

Hi thanks for your concern. I think social anxiety is something one can live with. It never goes away. You only can get along with people who understand you. My advise to parents with kids that suffer from social anxiety is don't try to show the child that he's got a problem. Because when we find out that you know we are shy then it totally kills our self confidence. It escalates the problem. We tend get irritated very easily and if you insist on something the we get angry. Amazingly though most socially anxious people are very intelligent and don't like being asked about their private life. We expect you to understand that if we don't like something even if it's good for us don't force us or try giving advise. The most difficult person on earth is us. I am an example and am not proud of it. Advise your son but don't to be harsh or else he will run away from home simply because he won't feel comfortable around you. Be friendly and compliment where necessary don't give too much attention. Tell him where he's wrong but don't make it a big issue. We listen to what you say but it irritates us that moment and we understand later when we are by ourselves. It's hard to raise a child who suffers from social anxiety, takes patience. We always can talk I feel like helping someone with the same problem heals me as well ... View more

Hi thanks for your concern. I think social anxiety is something one can live with. It never goes away. You only can get along with people who understand you. My advise to parents with kids that suffer from social anxiety is don't try to show the child that he's got a problem. Because when we find out that you know we are shy then it totally kills our self confidence. It escalates the problem. We tend get irritated very easily and if you insist on something the we get angry. Amazingly though most socially anxious people are very intelligent and don't like being asked about their private life. We expect you to understand that if we don't like something even if it's good for us don't force us or try giving advise. The most difficult person on earth is us. I am an example and am not proud of it. Advise your son but don't to be harsh or else he will run away from home simply because he won't feel comfortable around you. Be friendly and compliment where necessary don't give too much attention. Tell him where he's wrong but don't make it a big issue. We listen to what you say but it irritates us that moment and we understand later when we are by ourselves. It's hard to raise a child who suffers from social anxiety, takes patience. ... View more

Hi your son's story is similar to mine. I grew up with a family of 10. My parents were very strict but very loving and gave the care that would afford much as we were poor. I was and I am still the most shy in the family. What caused it I have no idea. When I was between the age of 10-20 all I wanted was to be alone in my bedroom sometimes hide away in the yard I did all sorts of things that could make me stay way from people. Still happens now but as a matured man I have tried to find ways to blend with other people. I discovered that i do have one problem. The fear of being judged. I feel like if I open up to someone they will judge my opinion or the way I feel or my thoughts and ideas about life and the way I look things. So most of the time I keep things to myself. This has affected my relationship with friends, girlfriend and even family. May be your son is facing the same problem of -Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, evaluation, and scrutiny. Put another way, social anxiety is the fear and anxiety of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression. If a person usually becomes anxious in social situations, but seems fine when they are alone, then "social phobia" may be the problem. Read more about on google. Hope this will help. Am now 36 but still face the same problem ... View more