Discussion forum for parents in Australia
01-15-2022 06:56 AM
01-15-2022 04:18 PM
01-16-2022 01:56 AM
01-16-2022 03:57 PM
Hey @Pluto , sounds like you are really supportive of your children and their needs. It is great to hear that your child has been receiving support from the school and that you have been able to enrol your son in the young carers program. Hopefully you and he find that program to be a great place for him to learn some new experiences and possibly skills that can help with what you are going through. I am sorry to hear that he struggles with anxious concerns around events including his step-sister. It must be tough for him to experience that and for you to support him through that. You mentioned that the dynamic in the house can be difficult at times, have you been able to discuss how you have been feeling with your partner? Is there anyone that you feel comfortable talking to about what you have been going through?
01-16-2022 11:13 PM
01-17-2022 04:41 PM
@Pluto that sounds like such a stressful situation - I really feel for you.
It's completely understandable that you want to do what you can to resolve these issues for the sake of your son and your whole family, but it does sound like it's a difficult thing to navigate as your partner is understandably protective of his daughter too.
I'm wondering, do you think your son and stepdaughter would have any ideas on what might help them to feel more okay with their blended family situation?
Have you considered doing some couples counselling by any chance? Sometimes it seems to help having a space to talk things through with a neutral party who can support each person to share what it is they're feeling and work towards a resolution together.
If that's not something you or your partner would consider, I'm wondering if something like parent/child outings or weekends would be helpful at all? For example, if you were to take your son somewhere special and your partner were to take his daughter somewhere special as a scheduled thing, so both young people can have some one-to-one nurturing.
Can I ask if your stepdaughter has professional support with her ADHD? If not, is that something your partner might consider looking into? I know a lot of people with ADHD say that receiving support has brought a lot of benefits for them.
They're just a few ideas, but without knowing you personally I'm conscious you may have tried them or they may be unhelpful - please take what's useful and discard the rest, but I hope you'll know that we're to support you and to listen any time.
We also have a section of the forums for blended families, and there are some articles on our website here if you'd like to take a look.
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