Hey there @PapaBill,   Thank you for sharing your experiences with your kids and sex. It can be really uncomfortable talking about the topic of sex with your kids, though as you've said it is definitely an important discussion to have. It sounds like you did a great job of opening that discussion up with your son, thank you for sharing :)    The video above also shares some great tips about opening the discussion such as being a safe space for them to open up to. It also gives a fantastic explanation into the differences between sex, sexuality and gender as sometimes, when a young person is talking about sexuality, they may be referring to sex, but it could also be a discussion around who they attracted to.  ... View more

Hey there @Nero4554 and welcome to the forums!! It's great you got to share a joke with your oldest! It can be difficult when our loved ones go through tough times. I noticed that you've also made a thread, I hope the advice there has been helpful to you! :) Spending time at home is a great way to spend the weekends :)   Hey there @Island, thanks for the update! I'm sorry to hear that your son is struggling with his exams. It sounds like the biggest issue is that your son doesn't want to come home, is that right? I'm sure it's a feeling some parents can relate to and if you'd like, you can make a new thread about it here for other users to see easier. What do you think?    Hello there @Daynada05 and welcome to the forums!! :) Team sports can be a great way of staying socialised! It can be really hard to know whether we're doing the right thing, have you spoken to any other parents, such as parents at team sports or of your children's friends, for advice? If you'd like, you can also make a new thread here and ask the community for advice about your daughter. What do you think? It sounds like you really care about your daughter and that is wonderful :)   Hello and welcome to the forums @Twinmum! Your sons sound like wonderful kids :) It can be tricky to give out tough love, especially without someone backing you up. Do you have anyone you can reach out to for support during tough times?  ... View more

Hey there @shawki11,   It's great that you've been able to have some conversations with your daughter around what's been going on. How have things been going this week?    Often, staying inside and surfing the internet can be so much easier than going out and trying to meet people. Are there online activities that she might be interested in that could help make friends?  ... View more

Hey there @Andreae66,   It's great to hear that he's feeling more supported! :) It can be scary to work with potentially dangerous tools like large equipment, how is he going with the classes?    Suggesting KidsHelpLine as a place he can go for support sounds like a fantastic idea, how did it go?    I hope things are going well for you, we're here to listen :) ... View more

Hey there @sarabell101,   I'm sorry to hear about the situation with your son and ex, it sounds like a difficult position to be in. How have things been this past week?    @PapaBill has offered some fantastic advice already, and it's great that you able to talk with your son about the situation. It's okay to feel helpless, from your post I can see that you care a lot about your son and it is great that he has you in his life :) Have you spoken to anyone else, such as a trusted friend or other family member, about how you've been feeling?    We're here to listen :) ... View more

Thank you for sharing that resource @Silentbutterfly! Welcome to the forums! :)     Hey there @Alaya and welcome back to the forums! :) It sounds like you care a lot about your daughter, it is wonderful that she has a wonderful support like you in her life :) Some things that can be helpful for driving exams is for the instructor to treat lessons like the exam. My brother took the exam at least five times before he passed. Perhaps it might be helpful for you to find people who can share their own stories about driving exams to help ease her anxiety about the situation? What do you think?   I hope things have been going okay this week, we're here to listen :)     ... View more

Hey there @martian and a belated welcome to the forums! Thank you for signing up and sharing a little about yourself!    Patience is an excellent tip to all parents! Though it can be tricky, having patience is a fantastic skill to have. Do you and your family have any favourite foods that you've tried?    You mentioned that you're looking for advice on whether or not you're doing the right thing with your son. It can be hard to know if we are doing the right thing. If you'd like, you can make a thread here to share more about the situation for the community to provide support.    We're here to listen :) I hope you're having a good week!  ... View more

Hey there @Island,   It can be worrying when you aren't sure where your son is or what he's doing. Do you think you'd be able to talk to your son about these worries? Explaining to your son that you get worried when you aren't sure what he's doing when he doesn't come home can open up the conversation of what your son can do to help keep up communication between you both.    It's great that you were able to talk to your son and find out the reason why he does drugs. Peer pressure and hanging out with friends can often be a reason that teenagers may do drugs. We have a few threads and resources on drugs that you can check out here for resources and here for a thread on what young people would like their parents to say if they are doing drugs. These might be helpful to read through and might provide some ideas on how you can talk to your son about his drug use. What do you think?    We're here to listen :) ... View more

Hey there @Andreae66,   It sounds like you have put a lot of steps in place to help your son, and that is amazing. How has he been going with school?    @TOM-RO has given some fantastic advice, I was also wondering, do you have anyone you can talk to when you're feeling anxious? It's absolutely okay to feel anxious about your son, but having someone to talk to about those feelings can be really helpful in coping with them, what do you think?    I hope things are going well :) ... View more

Hey there @shawki11, how are you?   It's hard to say what counts as normal when it comes to emotions, as they can often be difficult to understand. Have you been able to talk to your daughter more about what she's been feeling?    I hope things are well, we're here to listen. :) ... View more

Hey there @Nikkita, it's been awhile since we last heard from you, how have you been recently?   I'm glad that the strategy from another parent was helpful to you! Did you son end up going to his appointment with the services?    Thinking of you :) ... View more

Hey there @SteppDadd7, it's been a couple of weeks since we last heard from you, how are things going with your son?    I noticed that you may be in the US, which as a great parent helpline here and a huge list of services over here that might be able to offer more tailored support. What do you think?  ... View more

Hey there @Angelmum and @timmins, it's been awhile since we last heard from you, how have things been? ... View more

Hey there @HippyMum,   It's great that you contacted Parents Line and followed through on their suggestion of family therapy. It also sounds like the conversation with your daughter went well. Hopefully things continue to improve with her peers and decision making.    Best of luck! :) Thank you for the update.  ... View more

Hey there @kiwimama,   How are things going with your daughter? University can definitely be a difficult change for young people as it is so different from high school. Do you know if there are some things that your daughter would like to do?    I was also wondering, aside from your husband and here, have you spoken to anyone else about the situation? Often talking to various people can help get other perspectives and ideas on what you can do.    I am also going to tag in other members who may be able to provide some advice on the situation:  @PapaBill @JAKGR8 @Angelmum @timmins @shawki11  ... View more

Hey there @Tazzie and welcome to the forums   I'm sorry to hear about what happened recently. It can be really hard when people we love fall back into bad habits, it doesn't mean that it's your fault. Have you had a chance to speak to either of your sons yet?    I was also wondering, have you had a chance to speak to anyone else about the situation? A great place to contact if you're unsure or don't want to reach out to friends or family is ParentLine 1300 30 1300, if you're interested.   We're here to listen :) ... View more

Hey @sylvia, thank you for the update :)   I'm sorry to hear that things haven't been going that great. Are there any local schools that might be able to help you with homeschooling your son? A thread you might find interesting is this one on Gaming, where users have shared their experiences with gaming. There might be some strategies other parents have used that might be helpful in dealing with your son's video game addiction, what do you think?    We've also done an Ask a Young Person segment on the forums, where one young person answered a question about why a user's daughter says she hates them that might also be interesting to read.    It can be hard to cope with negative situations without much support from friends or family. If you feel comfortable, you could try reaching out to a professional, such as a counselor or psychologist. There is also a ParentLine that you can call. What do you think?       ... View more

Hey there @JD0902 and welcome to ReachOut :) Just letting you know that I did remove the double-ups of your post.    Sometimes there isn't a reason someone is rude or disrespectful, which can make it difficult when someone acts that way towards you. You mentioned that you've done a lot for your parents and in-laws, are they people you'd feel comfortable talking to about how you've been feeling? Talking to others about how we're feeling can help us with finding strategies to help cope.    Recently, we have been doing Ask a Young Person segments and I thought this one on why does my daughter hate me might be useful for you, what do you think?    Have you been to see someone, such as a counselor or psychologist about how you feel? They may be able to help you find coping strategies to help with those feelings. You can also try USA's National Parent Helpline for support if face-to-face isn't something that interests you. Do you think that's something you could try?   I'm also going to tag in some users who have posted about this topic before:  @JAKGR8 @mrskode @PapaBill @sunflowermom  ... View more

Hey there @Ob1234 and welcome to the forums :)   It is hard to know how far we should go in guidance, or just letting teens discover things on their own. I can see from your post you really care about your daughter's wellbeing, watching someone else go through abusive relationships can be tough and it's absolutely okay to want the best for your daughter in her future relationships. Have you been able to talk to your daughter about your concerns? Being open and honest with her about how you're feeling may help both of you understand and come to a decision on next steps.   @JAKGR8 has also provided some excellent advice on what you can do next, have you had a chance to try any of the suggestions out?    I hope things are going well :) ... View more

Hey there @HippyMum, I noticed that you've been giving some amazing advice to other users on the forums recently, thank you so much for sharing your experiences and advice with us :)    I'm sorry to hear that your daughter has been lying to you, it can be worrying when we're lied to about things, especially when your daughter's behaviour is also changing. Is there anyone else in the family or a friend who you can talk to about this?    We have been doing Ask a Young Person recently and I thought this one on talking about drugs might be useful for you to look at. We also have some articles on trust and building trust that you might also find helpful in helping your daughter to understand your concerns. What do you think?  ... View more

Hey there @Faob_1, this is an amazing thread idea! With the weekend fast approaching yet again, it is a great time to have a rest from the busyness of the week and relax with ourselves, friend or family members :)   Flopping on the couch with a movie and food sounds like a fantastic way to end the week! It is definitely one of my preferred ways of relaxing :)   I'm also going to tag some other users, I'd love to hear how you all relax on a Friday afternoon! :) @paulaanddanny @Kyere @malik @sunflowermom @htw70 @PapaBill @Dad4good @JAKGR8 @Nikkita  ... View more

Hey there @SteppDadd7 and welcome to ReachOut,   I'm sorry to hear that you're having a difficult time with your step-son. Does his mother have any suggestions on what you both could do to manage his behaviour?    Have you spoken to any professionals, such as a counselor or psychologist about what's been going on?   I'm also going to tag in some other users who have spoken about this topic:   @Angelmum, @JAKGR8, @timmins, @lizard0812, @Dad4good  ... View more

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. ... View more

Hey there @sivaruthvik90 and a belated welcome to the forums!    Teenagers and alcohol is definitely an important discussion! I love the tips that you've shared with us, it is a great suggestion to be open with your child about alcohol and to be honest about your own mistakes :)   Thank you for sharing these! :) ... View more

Hi there @malik and welcome to the forums! :) How have you been recently?    Thank you for sharing your story with us, living with social anxiety can be tough. I'm sure the feeling of being judged is something a lot of people can relate to. Do you have anyone around that you can turn to for support when the feelings are strong?      Hey there @htw70, it's been awhile since we last heard from you. How are things with your son? ... View more

Hey there @Broken2019,    I'm sorry to hear how difficult things have become between you and your daughters. It is wonderful that you have your boyfriend by your side to help support you. How have things been since you last posted?   Both @Dad4good and @PapaBill have provided some excellent advice. I also wanted to link in this website the National Parent Helpline that has several links to helplines in the United States that may be helpful for you to contact and seek more detailed support for your area.    I hope that things are going alright, we are here to listen :) ... View more

Hey there @Lucy72,   It sounds like you really care about your daughter and her wellbeing. Sexuality is such a diverse topic, and can often be thought of as a spectrum of feelings and attraction.    @PapaBill has provided some excellent advice already, one of the best things you can do is listen and be open. ReachOut also has a great list of articles over here that may be helpful for you in talking to your daughter about her sexuality.    I hope things are going well between you both :) ... View more

Hey there @3Jellybabies, it's been awhile since we last heard from you, how are you doing?    @Nikkita has offered some fantastic advice already, Parentline can be a great resource for support and give you ideas on what you can do for your next steps.    You mentioned that you sought out the services of a counselor, was this helpful for you? It can be so difficult to support others when we're struggling and seeking support of a counselor and a gp is a fantastic step, including posting here :)  Do you think you'd be able to talk to someone at work with how you've been feeling, at least from a career-perspective? They may be able to give you some insight in how you can move forward with your work.    Something else that may be helpful for you is trying self-care, we have a couple of threads here and here about the topic but essentially it is taking some time for yourself to do something either relaxing or helpful, which could be anything from eating a piece of fruit or watching an episode of a show you like. Do you think this is something you could try?    I hope that everything is going alright, we're here to listen :) ... View more

Hey there @htw70 and welcome to the forums! :)   I'm glad to hear that physically your son is doing well, hopefully the low iron is fixed soon :) It can be hard to communicate with teens when they won't talk to you, I'm sure it's something a lot of parents can relate to. If you'd like, you can make a new thread about it over here so that other users are more likely to see the post and offer support, what do you think?      ... View more