Thank you all for your helpful suggestions and concerns. We really enjoyed our time away and she seemed slightly happier but we have laterally just come back and I am finding that she was quick to get back into her old routine and ways, isolating herself. I thought that being around family in an isolated village will help her connect with herself and us but she was still withdrawn and disrespectful to me and her father. I am going to give her a week or so to get her head around being back home and school etc, then I will have a chat to her about seeing someone for some help. I'm not sure why she believes she has bi polar but I will investigate. She doesn't really have mood swings she is just in a constant defensive state and doesn't show consideration or empathy for anything or one. Eg; we had 3 guinea pigs and she was extremely pationate about looking after them and taking them to shows where they would win prizes but last spring she was at home (curriculum day) while the rest of us were at work and school, anyway she always moves them out of the sun in the middle of the day but she forgot this time and they all died. My younger children were devasted as they were theirs too but she didn't show any remorse or sadness. She makes it very hard for us as parents to relate to her as she doesn't like anything but her phone and YouTube and the only time she wants to go anywhere with us is if she is getting something. I'm just struggling to understand her thought process eg; our dog had an accident late last night and I had told her to keep an eye on him if he wants to go outside but ofcourse she didn't care and I found his mess in a plastic bag open on our dining table!!!!! I can't understand how she could get that distracted and then go to bed forgetting the dog poo. I'm trying to hold it together the best that I can as my other two children have there own issues and my husband is not much help. ... View more

1. How old are your kids and what is one thing they've done recently that made you laugh? 14yr old girl, 10yr old girl & 7yr old boy. The 2 younger ones hanging off my cousins feet wanting to be dragged around but are too heavy and my eldest when she was eating and made a popping sound. 2. Parenting can be really stressful - how do you try to keep those stress levels down? Sitting in a calming environment with a coffee or wine. 3. What led you to ReachOut Parents today? My 14yr old has been going through something and isolating herself from everyone & everthing. I need words of advice on how to help her. 4. Whats your top tip for parents whose kids are about to enter teenage years? Try and remember what it was like for yourself as a teen so that you can relate to them. 5. Whats the best thing about weekends? Staying up late and having quality family time eg; going out for breakfast, movies, having a bonfire. ... View more

Exhausting ... View more