It's not about me.

What to do when someone hurts your feelings, deeply?

You turn to your family and friends who know what kind of person you are, realize that you have a lot of love and support, and remember that not everyone is going to respond positively to you.

I fear for my older son, who wants everyone to like him and approve of him and what he does. Just like his mama.

That character trait has caused me many disappointments in the past. I am trying to stop and think another way, to realize that it's not all about me and that the rejector has some sort of problem/reason that I can't know, or can't understand. And that the reason doesn't matter.

It's not about me.

For the most part, I succeed in realizing that , and it has made me a much happier person. But there is still a gut reaction of sadness and insecurity at first, when I encounter rejection. My parents never taught me how to deal with that -- probably because *they* were the primary source, and still are, to some degree.

How to teach my son to deal with this... I am somewhat stumped.

I don't know what to tell him the first time he comes to me with this issue. All I can think of is, "Not everyone is going to like you , and you won't like everyone."

But what on earth to say when he responds with the inevitable, "Why?"