Discussion forum for parents in Australia
04-03-2019 04:05 PM - edited 05-14-2019 05:04 PM
Sometimes the mind of a young person / teenager feels like another planet entirely.
We have a team of trained youth volunteers, aged 16 - 25, supporting our youth community on our Youth Forum.
They have put their hand up to answer some of your questions and give a bit of a youth perspective on issues. Of course no two young people are the same, but they hope they can help bridge the divide!
If you would you like a young person's perspective or insight on something, submit your question anonymously here. We post answers each Tuesday.
04-05-2019 03:21 PM - last edited on 08-29-2019 03:23 PM by Claire-RO
List of questions and answers:
Q1: "When you feel like you're letting down your parents, and you see yourself as 'the naughty kid', what do you want your parents to say to you?"
Q2: When you are taking more and more risks with drugs, what do you wish your parents were saying to you versus what they usually say? What can a parent say, instead of using ‘the big stick’ approach?
Q3: My 15yr old daughter keeps taking things that are not hers and using it without asking. She's rude and aggressive most of the time. When I ask her why she keeps doing those things she told me she doesn't like any of us, which is her family, and she thinks she hates me. I asked her why and she said no reason. What is really going on in her head because it's affecting her school and our household?
Q4:How can I help my 17 year old daughter through her first break up?
Q5: How much phone time should a teen get on school days?
Q6: My son is acting strangely, sleeping and eating at strange times. He seems happy when I speak to him but it's hard to communicate through a closed door. What can I do?
Q7: My step daughter does not respect me- How can I start to to have a good relationship with her? I'm at a loss. Answer here
Q8: My daughter has social anxiety and has already missed a significant amount of time from school this year. She says she doesn't want to go anywhere, and I think her rejection is so strong she is scared to go out. How can I help her? Answer here
Q:9: Do you feel powerless or lacking control in your education or vocational programs? Answer here
Q10: I'm an estranged father. My kids don't respond to messages or pick up calls. Does someone have a suggestion of how I can reconnect? Answer here
Q11: What do I do when my daughter is becoming sexually active? Answer here
Q12: How to support your teen when things are feeling out of control? Answer here
Q13: "How can I talk to my teen about dating and relationships?" Answer Here
04-12-2019 06:38 PM
Just want to say that this is a great idea. Well done ReachOut, your doing an awesome job!
04-16-2019 05:05 PM
Just a quick update!
We have received a lot of great questions!!
If you have submitted a question and waiting on an answer, do not fear! It has been received, and we are working with our amazing team of teens now to get some answers posted up in this thread.
04-23-2019 01:21 PM
Hello Parents Community,
Our youth volunteers and leaders have been working hard over the weekend to get to all the questions!
We are now ready to start sharing some of the responses from our youth volunteers!
It looks like you’re visiting us from a country other than Australia.
We are an Australian service and think you’d benefit more from looking up a similar service in your country.
You are welcome to look around the forums, but please don’t make an account or post, as we can’t offer you the help you may need.
Before you go ahead and post, you should know that we remove non-Australian accounts – not because we don’t want to help or connect with you, but because we may not be able to provide you with the service that you require.