New member? Introduce yourself here!

[malik]

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

[htw70]

Hi Malik, that information is very helpful as I feel that my son has always needed more space than my other children and he is more introspective.  I wait for him to approach me when he is redy generally but then feel bad that he is not getting enough attention and I'm a bad parent.  Based on what you said, I will trust my instincts and give him the space he needs and not push him.  The pushing has never worked for him anyway!! Thank you, I do feel as if you are describing my son in the way you have shared your own experience.

[Jay-RO]

That is some excellent insight @malik! Thank you for sharing Just letting you know I also edited out your number, as our forums are anonymous.

@htw70 I saw you'd made a new thread, that's awesome! I'm glad some of the advice shared here has already helped, I hope this improve for you and your son this weekend.

[malik]

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.

[Kyere]

Richard  

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@Sophie-RO wrote:

Well we're all new at this point! Remember to keep yourself anonymous, but tell us a bit about yourself!

To get started you can introduce yourself by telling us:

1. How old are your kids and what is one thing they've done recently that made you laugh?
2. Parenting can be really stressful - how do you try to keep those stress levels down?
3. What led you to ReachOut Parents today?
4. Whats your top tip for parents whose kids are about to enter teenage years?
5. Whats the best thing about weekends?

Let's go!

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I have 3 girls 

The first one is 15 yrs

Then 5 And 4 years 

[Kyere]

Richard  

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@Sophie-RO wrote:

Well we're all new at this point! Remember to keep yourself anonymous, but tell us a bit about yourself!

To get started you can introduce yourself by telling us:

1. How old are your kids and what is one thing they've done recently that made you laugh?
2. Parenting can be really stressful - how do you try to keep those stress levels down?
3. What led you to ReachOut Parents today?
4. Whats your top tip for parents whose kids are about to enter teenage years?
5. Whats the best thing about weekends?

Let's go!

---

I have 3 girls 

The first one is 15 yrs

Then 5 And 4 years respectively 

[paulaanddanny]

Children are now 27 and 29, but we are parenting and homeschooling our 14 year old niece, bringing her from Australia to Spain for the summer. the recent expression on her face after trying paella the first time brought a smile. "What are these?" 
"Snails."

We always keep stress to a minimum. No need for us to shout, always stay calm, always listen properly FIRST.
 
We are here for the sharing of ideas. We also work extensively with children, parents and teachers around the world presenting self esteem and confidence workshops, so this is a good place to gauge where parent's major concerns are. 

4. Whats your top tip for parents whose kids are about to enter teenage years? Stay calm, be firm and consistent, always explain decisions and always be kind.

5. Whats the best thing about weekends? Nothing particularly different for us, weekends or weekdays. We work and play during both 

[Jess1-RO]

Hi @paulaanddanny and welcome to ReachOut Parents! Thank you for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with the community, we look forward to getting to know you better 

We hope that you are able to connect with other parents, share your insights and join in the discussions! If you need any support finding your way around the forums, you are more than welcome to tag me 

[paulaanddanny]

Thank you 😊
This looks like a vibrant positive forum which is great to see.

We live in Australia, but in Spain atm for a few months at least.

We present shows and workshops in schools for children, teachers and parents, helping to nurture and grow self confidence, self esteem, resilience and living a life you love. It’s a BIG adventure and we love doing it!

We also use powerful creative writing techniques we’ve used hundreds of times to get children from saying ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can!’ Very quickly.

We have just sold an accommodation business we had for nearly ten years to go back to doing this full time instead of part time. So, if anyone has any questions or want any tips, if that’s appropriate on this forum, happy to help 👍🏼😊

[martian]

1. How old are your kids and what is one thing they've done recently that made you laugh?

17 years old son and 10 years old daugther.

My daughter and I love watching animes and just recently she made my laugh by pointing out some silly scene while watching.

2. Parenting can be really stressful - how do you try to keep those stress levels down?

I just run or play sports or excercise.

3. What led you to ReachOut Parents today?

I wanted to know if what I'm doing as a parent is right when it comes to dealing with my unmotivated and systemic liar son.

4. Whats your top tip for parents whose kids are about to enter teenage years?

Patience, patience, patience.

5. Whats the best thing about weekends?

Eating out and trying different foods with my wife and kids..