New member? Introduce yourself here!

[TOM-RO]

Hi @specialneedsdad welcome to the RO community! We're glad you're hear and sharing your story with us (please note I did edit your post - I removed your identifying details - for more info please see our forum guidelines here).

We'd love to know a little more about about you - if you're up for it, here's some Qs for you:

1. What's your number one way to relax?
2. What was the worst and then the best parenting advice you've got?

3. Do you have a random fact that you could share with us?

[Erin-RO]

Hi Everyone!

- Erin-RO

[taokat]

Hi @specialneedsdad and @Erin-RO, welcome to the forum.

You sound like you have a lot on your plate @specialneedsdad. I'm so sorry to hear about your son's condition. I'd never heard of it before but have done a little reading about it. It must be so difficult for you as parents, so I hope we can offer you some support. 

@Erin-RO, your name suggests you work for Reach Out, so I'm sure we'll see each other around the forum 

[taokat]

A huge welcome to our newest members @SASpurs67, @Helpingmykids1, @ebartling, and again @Erin-RO!!

We'd love to know a little more about you, so feel free to answer the following few questions (remember to remain anonymous!):

1. How many kids are in your care and what are their ages?
2. What's something they've done recently that's made you laugh?
3. How do you look after yourself as a parent?

Please feel free to check out ReachOut's free parent coaching here - a fabulous resource for parents needing help with anything 'teenager'.

Parents also run a chat night, Ab Fab Friday's, each Friday night (surprise, surprise!) at 8pm (AEDST). We'd love to see you there this week! 

[Nick-RO]

A huge hello and welcome to our newest members @ralala, @HPike and @Soundbite!  

We'd love to know a little more about you, so our random question generator has thrown up the following questions to get you started introducing yourself (remember to remain anonymous!):

1. How many kids are in your care and what are their ages?
2. Describe your perfect day off.
3. What is the best/worst piece of parenting advice you ever received?

Another really cool way to meet people here is to join in on the Friday night chat session - Ab Fab Fridays at 8pm (AEDST) - this week the topic is on 'the most fun thing you have every done'.

[taokat]

A warm welcome to our newest ReachOut members @Dodsocar, @Abbey, @Kidslox and @Sister!! It's fantastic to have you as part of our parent community!

So we can get to know a little more about you, we invite you to answer the following few questions (remember to remain anonymous!)

1. How long have you been in the parenting gig?
2. What's one piece of advice you would offer to parents of freshly sprouted teens?
3. What do you enjoy the most about being a mum or dad?

I'd also like to invite you to join in our parent chat night, Ab Fab Friday's, tomorrow night (2nd Feb) at 8pm (AEDST). Just follow the link here

[Sister]

Hello Everyone and many thanks TaoKat for making us new members feel welcome.

I am a now solo parent of a 20 year old and a 15 year old.

Advice that I would give to "parents of freshly sprouts teens" is to not give them advice! I would however suggest that they be really aware that situations can change at any moment and that everything is impermanent. Hopefully, the impermanence aspect can offer them hope during the times when our teens can change and sometimes not for the better.

I would also emphasise that it can be unwise and uncaring to be judgemental about other people (both teenagers and parents alike) because we don't know if it could be us in a similar situation one day.

The thing I enjoy most about being a parent is the incredible roller-coaster of a journey they have taken me on...it has led me to be so much more compassionate towards others. I knew nothing about text-book empathy until I experienced the road of being a solo parent of a teen who has suffered from ongoing depression, anxiety and learning difficulties. Not to mention anger issues and all the other tangents.

"Speaking" of rollercoasters......I went on one recently with my teen which was terrifying for me (!) and a lot of fun (for them).....seems to be rather symbolic of all the storms we have experienced in our life so far together. 

Thanks for "listening".

[taokat]

My pleasure @Sister! Thank you so much for sharing your great parenting tips with us. I'm a single mum too, with a 15 year old daughter, so I'm sure we'll connect on similar posts in the forum 

It's lovely to have you here! 

[Zoesplace]

BIG hello to our newest Reach Out Parents @Fevvy @Moonwoofer @sylvia @sangeeta and @Champion

We love getting to know our members and this is the place to let us know a little bit about you and what brought you Reach Out (remember to keep it anonymous!).

Here are some conversation starters to get you going...

1.  How old are your kids and what is something thing they have done to make you laugh?

2.  What led you to ReachOut Parents?

3.  Whats the best things about week ends?

Welcome again, and can't wait to hear from you!

[Champion]

Hi,

first time I have been on a forum such as this.....

- We have two beautiful kids, girl 18 (starting Uni this year) and son 15 in Yr 10. What has made me laugh - my son's developing humour of which cheers up my wife 

- My wife introduced me to reachout due to issues that my son is going through including depression, saying that he will self harm and recently starting to hurt himself 

- the weekends are usually packed, working at home, me time but more important, this is when the footy is on of which my son and I are members. This is one of the rear times that he lets me in, and we spend a fun and exciting 90+ minutes one on one.

Our issues are minimal in comparison to some of the feed backs on this forum. However when it is you child, you some times think it that what they are going through is so unfair.

We are lucky that we have great support with a local councillor and the school however the most wonderful thing is that my wife has the knowledge and ability to ensure that we are doing everything we can to help him.

Thanks