Joanna Fortune: My teenager's confidence is slipping because she doesn't have a boyfriend 

Many of her friends are dating, and she has started saying she’s ugly and boring

She does not need you to minimise or dismiss her feelings — she needs to know she is not alone with them and that you are there to listen. Picture: iStock 

My daughter is 16 and is feeling very down about not having a boyfriend. Many of her friends are dating, and it seems to be all they talk about when they are together. She has started saying she’s ugly and boring. No matter what I say, it doesn’t seem to make a difference. I hardly recognise the girl who used to laugh all the time as a child. What would you suggest?

Adolescence is such a challenging time of constant change, yet all you want is to blend in and be like your friends. So, when your friends start getting into relationships, it’s easy to feel pressure to be in one too and difficult when this doesn’t happen immediately.