New member? Introduce yourself here!

[Bre-RO]

Hey @bulldog332 

Welcome to the Parents community! I think it's great you reached out to get some support for yourself and your son. It is such a huge transition going to high-school. 

Sitting together and talking at the dinner table sounds like a really nice routine to have. I have fond memories of doing the same with my family (even though they didn't always work out, as you said). 

I'm sure you'll come across other parents here who are going through similar reservations about your kids entering teen years.  

[Jess1-RO]

Hi there Parents Community!

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members! @Lostmother @Welloffspring @WorriedKaty @Bungarra  

We look forward to getting to know you better 

[Wena1]

Hi

1. 14 y.o. - showed me the face he decided to pull for the class photos
2. I dance Cuban salsa and go to the gym
3. I'm interested to learn how other parents have managed in similar situations
4. Remembering what it was like being a teenager yourself
5. Not going to work

[IppyMum4305]

1. How old are your kids and what is one thing they've done recently that made you laugh?
My kids will be 13 and 17 this year and i am constantly getting shown these new songs that i have no idea about and getting told i'm getting old when i don't know them and we have a good laugh about it, sad thing is, i realise i AM getting old, but oh well LOL
2. Parenting can be really stressful - how do you try to keep those stress levels down?
Music is my saviour, and making sure i take time for myself
3. What led you to ReachOut Parents today?
Was looking for ways to help my daughter with resilience, came across the Beyond Blue page, which led me to here. We are dealing with school refusal and a large part  I have recognised is that she seems to have very little resilience.
4. Whats your top tip for parents whose kids are about to enter teenage years?
Talk about the hard stuff, talk about the yucky stuff, talk about the embarrassing stuff as it if were a normal conversation. Be open with them and give them some trust and hope that they use it well.
5. Whats the best thing about weekends?
Being able to sit and do nothing if i don't want to, having no set times to be somewhere.

[Stressful2020]

I have 2 children one 24 year old boy and a 16 year old girl.

My son makes me laugh all the time, my daughter on the other hand hasn't made me laugh for a while.

I try to ignore the behaviour and try and talk to her but nothings working.

I read about depression in teenagers and it sounds like her.

Boys tend to listen more to their mothers without arguing, well that is what is happening in my world.

I try to relax on weekends with family and friends (pre covid-19) 

When I was reading about depression, it started to make more sense to me.

[Taylor-RO]

Hi @Stressful2020, thank you so much for introducing yourself and welcome aboard! Children can be so different from one another - it can be strange to see how that plays out. I have seen that you have made your own thread about what you are going through, so I will respond to you in detail over there

[Lazybug60]

Hello Everyone, My names Cheryl I have a son who is over 20 but he acts like a child at times. He has a really bad anger issue and it’s causing a wedge between us. He’s caring and funny at times but mostly angry. I love him so much he’s my last born so I’m holding on to getting help so we can be together without a war. I have a trust issue and don’t have any family to speak to so I’m hoping here I can find some answers or help and hope I can help someone here. Great being here 

[Taylor-RO]

Hi @Lazybug60, thanks for joining our forums. It sounds like this has been a very difficult thing for you to go through. From reading your post, I can tell that you really care about your son and want to repair your connection with him. We will be sending you an email, so please have a look

[ceskia22]

I'm new to this type of thing but thought I would give it a try.

Married, parenting 13 yo and 10 yo, we are working from home and supervising schooling.

Having ups and downs but mostly going ok, as far as we can tell.   My ten yo just showed me some beautiful descriptive writing he has done, they are special moments that we wouldn't usually get to share.

I was just reading our schools wellbeing officer's post and thought I would check out reach out.  So happy there are so many helpful resources for parents and working from home from both my children's schools and my workplace.  This is a well resourced pandemic situation.  Thanks everyone.

Not sure I have a best tip to share, except keep trying and except some things don't work, and we just have to pick up and try again.  Just come off a weekend of being at home, which my youngest loves as he is a real home body.