Hi there @Nikkita, Just letting you know that I edited out the self-harm tool mention from your post as it goes against our community guidelines.    I noticed you were providing some amazing support to other users yesterday, thank you! :)   It sounds like there is a lot going on for you and your son right now. It's great that your son wanted to make a change in himself and went to the drs with you as well as talking to a guidance counselor, even though it's only one person, it's still something and that can often be the hardest step for some to take.    You've mentioned some problems at school, is there anyone at school who you can talk to for support with your son?    I was also wondering if you are seeing anyone, such as a psychologist or counselor for yourself? I can see from your post that you care a lot about your son, and that is such a wonderful quality, though it's just as important to take care of ourselves too. There is also Parentsline if you don't feel comfortable talking face-to-face with someone. What do you think?   I'm also going to tag in some other members for their amazing support, @sunflowermom, @compassion, @taokat, @Faob_1, @Schooner, @JAKGR8 ... View more

Hey there @Carolined and welcome! Just letting you know I moved your post to a new thread to give it the attention it deserves :)   School can definitely be a tough time for a lot of kids, but I can see from your posts that you really care about your daughter and her education, and that's great to see :) I was wondering, does your daughter see anyone to help her cope with her negative feelings around school?      I've also tagged in some of our wonderful members so they can share any of their great advice.  @sunflowermom @JAKGR8 @Faob_1 @Orbit64 @compassion @Moloko @taokat  ... View more

Hey there @Kkay69 and welcome to ReachOut :)   Dating, relationships and breakups are often important times in most teenager's lives. They be filled with both good and bad moments and it can certainly be tricky to support them during those times. ReachOut has an article on Romantic Relationships, including ways to support your son during his break up over here.   As always, it's up to you whether or not you'd like to tell this girl's parents about her behaviour. It's admirable that you're not interested in revenge, as these experiences can absolutely be used as teaching moments and they may even be able to offer you some support around your son, what do you think?   I've also tagged in some other users who may be able to offer some of their fabulous support.  @sunflowermom @JAKGR8 @Faob_1 @Orbit64 @compassion @Moloko @taokat  ... View more

Hey there @Moloko,   I'm sorry to hear about the fight between you and your daughter, the start of school can definitely be a difficult time for parents and kids. Friendships especially can be challenging as sometimes friends and relationships change from positive ones into negative ones.  I just want to make sure I've understood, is the new friendship group the ones who are spreading rumors about your daughter?    It can be really hard to help kids make the right choices and develop good friendships. ReachOut has an article on friendships that may have some ideas to help your daughter. There is also another article on recognising bad friendships that may also be helpful to you. What do you think?     I'm also going to tag in some other users for their support :) @taokat @sunflowermom @Happy @Schooner @compassion @Faob_1  ... View more

Hi there @Justamum and welcome to ReachOut :)   It's wonderful to hear that you still have a great friendship with your kids dad. As @Mssassy has already said, it can be so helpful for kids to see both of their parents being able to get along. For some couples, separating can be difficult on both parties and the kids, but it sounds like you both did what was best for you and it sounds like it's going well :)   I'm sorry to hear that your partner doesn't like that you do things with your ex. Often, as you've said, partners can believe that something will happen and it can be difficult to help them understand. Perhaps it might help if your partner organises a gathering? Sometimes being in control of the location and event can help ease the anxiety of a meeting. What do you think?   It can also help to talk to other people, such as a professional, about what's going on. Do you think that's something you or your partner would be interested in?   I'm also going to tag in some other users for their support :) @taokat @sunflowermom @Happy @Schooner @compassion @Faob_1  ... View more

Hi there @Skyfly and welcome to the forums!    Just a heads up, I edited out some of the details of self harm and the tools used as it goes against our guidelines (here).    It can be hard to know what causes depression, and sometimes there isn't a reason for it. We have an article over here on depression in teenagers that might help provide some understanding on what your son may be going through. It's great that he is seeing someone though, often getting professional help can be the biggest hurdle in recovery.    I was wondering, do you have anyone that you can reach out to for support around this?    I've also tagged in some other users for their advice :) @sunflowermom, @Faob_1, @compassion, @taokat, @Orbit64 ... View more

Hey there @Hootbayne,   How are things going? You mentioned that you've saved some responses, have you had a chance to try them out yet?   Best of luck! :) ... View more

Hey there @Mumofboys_23 and welcome to ReachOut :)   I'm sorry to hear that this has happened, it's hard to see someone we love do drugs, especially when you've had bad experiences in the past. It's okay to be scared, it shows that you care about your son to be worried about him. Have you had a chance to speak to your son since you caught him?    It's hard to know what the next steps may be. I was wondering, do you have other supports such as a counselor, psychologist or trusted friend/family member that you can talk to about all this? It's important to take care of ourselves while we're going through a tough time. What do you think? ... View more

Hey there @Lekino, It's definitely annoying when we lose our replies, if only the draft had saved sooner. It sounds like there is a lot going on with you and your daughter. Did you find any of the above suggestions helpful? While it's important to take care of your daughter, it's also important to take care of yourself. Have you been able to take some time for yourself recently? ... View more

Hey there @Worrisome, I'm glad that you find the forums helpful for your mental health :) Would seeing a counselor be something you'd like to do? It can definitely be tricky to fit seeing someone in with other commitments, though helplines such as Parentline can make that easier.    Going overseas sounds like an exciting opportunity! Have you ever done it before? It's great that your husband will be on leave and able to take care of your daughter. It can be really hard to know if things will be okay while you're away, especially when May is so far away. Do you think you'd be able to talk to your daughter and husband about these feelings? Sometimes talking to those around us about our fears can help find a solution, what do you think? ... View more

Hey there @BrokenSystem and welcome to the forums :)   I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling in finding professional support for your son. Finding a professional can be a challenge, have you been able to see if any other GPs can recommend you to anyone?    While face-to-face support and a diagnosis can be really helpful, there are also online or over the phone services that may be helpful to you and your son during this time. Places such as Headspace and KidsHelpline are great services for young people while Parentline can be great for parents. What do you think? ... View more

Hi there @JAKGR8, thank you for sharing your strengths with us. Those are some wonderful strengths, having compassion and empathy can certainly help us see things from other perspectives and be helpful in offering support to others. I love that your biggest strengths is not holding a grudge, it can be hard to forgive and move on.  Some excellent strengths @Faob_1! Thank you for sharing :) Humour is a wonderful strength to have, it's great that you can still hold onto your sense of humor. Being able to separate home and work life can definitely be a strength, it can be hard to let go of things to focus on another and it's definitely a nice one to have :) You both have identified some wonderful strength in your kids, thanks again for sharing! :) ... View more

Hi there @cocosten and welcome to ReachOut :)   I'm glad that you've found us here on ReachOut. We would be happy to offer you some support and advice around your son. Are you able to share what's been going on lately? ... View more

Thank you for sharing your support network @Dakotah :) I'm glad that you have found a wonderful community in your gym family. It's wonderful that you have a lot of support around you @sunflowermom! Thank you for sharing them and their impact on you with us :) I'm glad that they are able to support you in what you need. ... View more

You've done an excellent reflection of the past year @sunflowermom. Your goals for 2019 are lovely, rebuilding self-love, confidence and being healthy are admirable goals. :) ... View more

Hey there @Loralei and welcome to ReachOut :)   I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's addiction. It can be difficult to cope with someone who is struggling with a drug addiction. Is there anyone around you that you or your other daughter are able to talk to about this? Talking to people, discussing what's happening, can be helpful in coping with the situation. Other coping methods that you may be able to use include self-care, which is doing an activity that you enjoy or that makes you feel better, such as exercise, a hobby or eating fruit. Having these activities for self-care, and then doing them when you're feeling stressed about your daughter can sometimes help ease the stress. What do you think?   I'm going to tag some other users in for their advice too :) @Happy @sunflowermom @Schooner @taokat  ... View more

Hey there @CSculptor, Thanks for giving us an update :) You've given some fabulous advice on how to approach the situation. Have you spoken to your daughter about how she's going with her anxiety and therapy-wise?   @DeerPark_123 thank you for sharing your story with us :) It sounds like you are a wonderful and supportive parent to your daughter. It can definitely be difficult to have these conversations with your kids, especially when they're young. It's fantastic that you want to do the right thing, but it's true that sometimes there's no one right way to handle things. Do you think having someone else talk to your daughter about these things might be helpful? It's unfortunate that conversations with her aren't going well but perhaps having someone else talk to her might help her understand. What do you think? ... View more

Hey there @Notperfect and welcome to ReachOut :)    It's fantastic that you have a lovely relationship with your daughter :) I can see from your post you are a wonderful and supportive father, and it's great that your daughter felt safe enough to open up about her sexuality with you.    ReachOut has a great article on helping your teenager with coming out that has some suggestions on things you can do to support them. A big thing is to be open and supportive and listen to them, which is something you are already nailing :)    You are doing an amazing job so far supporting your daughter. We're always here if you have anymore questions :)  ... View more

Hi there @Aiman and welcome to ReachOut :) I'm sorry to hear that this is going on with your son. I've never had children myself, but I can imagine that it is difficult when they have such strong negative feelings towards you. You mentioned that this is making you feel miserable, have you shared this with anyone before? Sometimes seeing someone such as a professional counselor or just a trusted friend and sharing our feelings can be a great way to help ourselves. Another way we can help ourselves is self-care, which is doing activities that we enjoy and make ourselves feel better, do you have anything like that? What do you think? I've tagged in some other users to share their fantastic advice as well Smiley Happy @sunflowermom @taokat @Happy @PositiveWhisper ... View more

Hi there @Ruffhead and welcome! :) How are things going with your son?   @Dad4good has already shared some fantastic advice on the situation that has hopefully been helpful to you :)    I also thought I might share an article of ReachOut called Balance Trust and Freedom, about the balance between trusting your teenager and giving them freedom. It has some suggestions that might be helpful. What do you think? ... View more

Hi there @miklou and welcome to Reachout :) I also moved your post to a different section of the forums so that more users are likely to see it. :)   I'm sorry to hear you're in this situation with your daughter. It's difficult when you've agreed to terms and they aren't followed. I have never been in this situation myself, but I can see that you do care about your daughter. It's great that you want her to be responsible and able to manage her finances. When you approach her about the topic, is it often at random times? Perhaps setting an agreed upon time to discuss the situation with your daughter might have more success.    I was also wondering if you bring up your previous agreement with her, if she's not meeting it maybe a way of opening up the conversation could be to make a new agreement. What do you think?    @Dad4good has offered some fabulous advice already, but I've tagged in some other users to share their fantastic advice as well :) @sunflowermom @taokat @Happy @PositiveWhisper ... View more

Hey there @Treadwell and welcome! You are more than welcome to post and share, it's more that we can't offer Australian-based supports to those outside of Australia, but our many amazing users absolutely have some wonderful advice that can be helpful to anyone :) It seems like @Schooner beat me to the welcome with their fantastic post. I wanted to thank you both for sharing your stories. It can be a real struggle finding the right person and the right meds to help but as the saying goes, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if you can't see it :) Thank you again for sharing your wonderful advice! I'm sure it will be helpful to any parents going through similar things :) ... View more

Hey there @Hoag2 and welcome to ReachOut :)   You are more than welcome to use these forums as your sounding board, it's what we're here for :)    It's great that you are trusting of your daughter and her choices. First loves and first time having sex can be scary but important time for some people and having a supportive parent can make all the difference.    I hope that the appointment goes well tomorrow, it's fantastic that you were able to get one so quickly! Good luck :) ... View more

Hi there @taokat, I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, it can be so hard to deal with the unexpected loss of someone so close to us. I'm also sorry that you felt unsupported by ReachOut, thank you for coming back and letting us know that it happened.  I'm glad to hear that things are improving with your daughter, it's fantastic that's she's been able to study again.  Since having that experience with her current counselor, have you searched anywhere else? It's unfortunately that you had a negative experience with them, the mental health system can certainly have its issues. There are several places that can offer support for young people such as helplines or other online services, what do you think?   I hope you are both doing well today :) ... View more

Hi there @danilanis and welcome to ReachOut :)   I'm sorry to hear about your daughter hurting herself. Is she at the age where you're able to talk to her about her actions? It may be difficult because she is still so young however it might help to try talking to her.  You also mentioned that she fidgets with the skin, does she have anything else she could use to fidget with? That way she can still fidget with her hands but she wouldn't be causing harm to herself. What do you think?    I've tagged in some other users to share some of their advice :) @Moggy3kids   @taokat   @Bren-G_   @Happy   @PositiveWhisper   @LostInUtah   @sunflowermom ... View more

Hi @sunflowermom,   It's fantastic to hear that things are going well with you and your daughter. Thank you for updating us :)   In regards to your daughter smoking pot, it can be difficult for anyone to break habits and it's great that you can express your concerns to your daughter. Have you already done this or is it something you are looking to do? I hope that the conversations go well for you both. :)  ... View more

Hey @Moloko,   You're right in that it can be hard to stop comparing ourselves to others. Do you ever share your struggles or advice with these other parents?    From reading through your thread, I can tell you are a wonderful parent to your daughter. Messaging your daughter can definitely be a great alternative when having a verbal conversation is a struggle. You mentioned that it's impacting the whole family, have you spoken to them about how your daughter has been affecting them? ... View more

@Hi there @Lonelychild and welcome to ReachOut.   Just a note: I edited your post to remove your location as we are an anonymous forum and it is against our guidelines to have personal information, such as location, to prevent users from being identified.    It's unfortunate that she left school because of bullying but it sounds like you are a supportive parent and it's great that you are there for her :) I think that community neighbourhood centres will sometimes run various types of groups that might be helpful for your daughter, are there any nearby?  I believe your idea of getting together with families who are in a similar situation is a fantastic idea. If you can't find anything in your local area, do you think you could organise one yourself? What do you think?   I've tagged in some of our other users to share any ideas they may have. :) @Moggy3kids @taokat @Happy @PositiveWhisper     ... View more