Hi @nohairleft, I am so sorry to hear of everything you have dealt with in the last few years. That must have been so challenging for you and I can only imagine the amount of heart break and stress that you feel. Your love and compassion towards your children is obvious and feeling helpless is such a difficult emotion to sit with, especially when you want to so desperately take the burden away from your children. You mentioned that you don't see your son - have you been able to video chat or talk on the telephone with him? It is great to hear that your friends are apart of your support network. Would you consider talking to a mental health professional? It is not uncommon for parents to need support as raising children is diffcult, especially if issues with mental health arise. They can help you navigate this situation and to process what is going on for you as a parent. We are here to listen ... View more

He is only interested in computer games. I always un-plug the WiFi so he won’t play all the time. He says he wants to make friends but everyone he has talked to , he has nothing in common with and it is awkward. There was a time when he did make 2 friends and he was regularly going skateboarding with them, but then he stopped talking to them . They would call for months asking him to go skateboarding but he turned them down every time. So now they don’t call any more. I have tried multiple times to encourage him to go hang out with them but he never wants to, he says he didn’t have anything in common with them. I recently joined him in counseling and that was a huge struggle to get him to do that. ... View more

I'd love to hear from these parents over at this thread:   Tips for raising a generation of 'Digital Natives'.   And to hear how things are now. ... View more

Hi @tenacious_dad, how is your son going? Did your discussion on warning signs help with his new relationship? ... View more

Hey @Redmond, thanks for sharing. Positive body image and self-esteem can be hard to encourage when teens are going through so much change already, but it sounds like you have started a conversation with your son to explore his unhappiness. How is he feeling now? Is he still taking the medication? Acne can be really tough to cope with, and may occur right when kids want to look their best. I'm sure your support has helped him during this difficult time. ... View more

As parents we have so many milestones to navigate don't we? This is one I remember clearly.   I didn't want my kids being driven by their friends who had just got their licence. Despite the arduous hours, it is vastly different without an experienced driver watching over them exacerbated by the potential for them to be cool or show off with their friends. I just preferred a bit of time for the driver to get used to driving alone without my precious ones with them. Having said that, I am not naive and I expect they ignored my rules anyway, sigh........   On the flip side, what rules do you make for your own children about them taking passengers? What comes first depends on whether your son/daughter is one of the early drivers or the later ones.  Once my son got his licence, he was very useful for driving his sister around but I made sure that I personally cleared it with the parents of her friends so they knew who was picking up from dance class or soccer practice.  And one more angle - you probably know your own kids better than you know their friends, so make the rules you feel comfortable with. Good luck ... View more

Only natural to be worried in that case! But glad you guys had such a good chat about it in the end ... View more

Thanks so much @Sbaussie for updating us, and all your thoughtful ideas on the topic. As @Mitzi explained so well - this is an uncomfortable topic but so important, and common! Cheers guys :) ... View more

Thanks for sharing @CareBear.  Some really good advice. ... View more

You could be right Xena that she doesn't notice. I like that idea of being on stand-by. thanks ... View more

Hey @ziggystarmum - those feelings that you described about getting help are so common in young people - he's definitely not alone there. It's really common for people to worry that either a counsellor won't help, or because he can't describe exactly whats going on, people will judge/belittle that. The good news is that these things can be addressed over time - especially with a supportive, empathetic Mum like you. I thought of one more thing on the youth website. Obviously we don't want to bombard him but if you ever think it feels right to show him, we did a podcast that shows what happens in a counselling appointment: ... View more

@Sophie-RO strangely, I was the other way around.  I enjoyed school, and did well, but once I got to Uni, it just didn't work for me, and I stopped and started for a few years.  Iin hindsight, it was when depression first hit me, but I just wasn't aware of what it was, and when I tried to get help, it just wasn't there.  We have come so far in dealing with mental health issues, but still have a hell of a long way to go. ... View more