New here

[inteenhell]

Hi I'm new here and saying hi. I have two boys, eldest 15 tomorrow and youngest 14 in April.

The last 2 years have been nothing but stress and anxiety.
Originally, I was just having problems with my eldest boy. But now both are giving me trouble.

I love my boys so much. They are both good boys deep down. Puberty has just bought out the worst in them and they have changed into people I sometimes don't recognize.

I'm here for support, without being judged and to talk with people going through the same things 😊

[TOM-RO]

Hey @inteenhell 

Thanks for much for joining ReachOut and sharing what's going on for you. If you're after some support from people going through similar things like you said, then you've definitely come to the right place. 

Have you had a chance to go through our forum? If not, I'd encourage you to create a more detaied thread about what's going on for you in the "everyday parenting" or "concerned about my teen" sections of our forum, as these sections are often used for parents to vent and seek advice. I'd also encourage you to check out the "ask a child and family professional" section, where we have professionals answer a whole range of common questions parents have, as the answers a quite informative and may be of use to you too 

It sounds like you're going through a hard time with your boys. Puberty/ early adolescence can be a tricky age. Parenting can be stressful, so it's important you seek the right support . A really good resource for parents in your situation is Parentline, as they offer free and confidential counselling and support to parents on any parenting issues they may be facing. They may be able to help you navigate this situation with your two boys, support you, and also refer you to any useful services in your area. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested. 

[inteenhell]

Hi and thanks or your reply.

I’ve been reading the forum and noticed there’s hundreds of views and not many replies. Most of the replies are from mods. Is this not really an active parent forum?

[Jess1-RO]

Hi @inteenhell that is a great question! 

Online communities tend to bring many different people for different purposes. The typical pattern for any online community is 90% will read, 9% will sign up and post, and 1% will post frequently. While our community is still growing, there is a lot more Moderator input, but we hope that in future with more parents we will have a much more self sustaining forum where parents are actively supporting each other

If you would be interested in supporting other parents, more than happy to chat to you about roles in our community too Look forward to seeing you around!