About Bre-RO

Bre-RO

Hey Parents! We wanted to send a message to some new members who joined this week and thank them for sharing what they are going through. @Tapco2020 you opened up about a tough situation between your wife and daughter - it's not easy to tell people online what is going on in your private life but we are really appreciative that you reached out for support. With COVID-19 in our midst it's been great to see that @CJ030 checked in with the community about thoughts on how to keep kids busy during social isolation times. If you want to check that thread out it's here. We also made a thread on how to talk to your teens about coronavirus here. Let's support each other through this time

Bre-RO

Hey @Tapco2020 just wanted to check in and see how you are going? Sounds like such a heartbreaking situation to be in and hope you were able to read the support given above.

Bre-RO

Hey @Chester thanks for opening up about this. I can imagine it's been really hard trying to get support with this situation. I just wanted to say good on for you being proactive about this for your wife and your child. I'm sure many parents could relate to the difficulty of knowing how to have tough conversations, especially when it comes to yours and your wife's mental health. I'd be keen to see how other people here in the community would approach a conversation like this but thought I'd link you into an article we have on how to have tricky conversations here. It might be helpful for your wife to re-frame her understanding of self-harm as well (as hard as that is). I feel for her as carrying around a "dirty little secret" can be so painful. Is she getting some professional support at the moment? Sending lots of love to your family and looking forward to hearing back from you.

Bre-RO

To all the parents that have come to ReachOut to get and give support, we wanted to send a huge thank you! @LusHeart thank you for giving your support to a parent here who is having a hard time. It's people like you that make this a warm and welcoming community. @Fleurry I really admire how you've shared with the community and we hope to continue hearing about how you and your son progress with counselling. @IppyMum4305 and @LIALIA thank you for both opening up here about the difficulty you're both having with getting your teens to school.

Bre-RO

Hi @Fleurry How's things going? Glad to hear that your son saw the counsellor - one step at a time. Hope you're both doing well.

Bre-RO · ‎03-06-2020

Aw @Fleurry you must be in so much pain. I'm really grateful that you found our forum and you can talk through it here. Do you think it would be helpful to get some more support? We do have a partnership with The Benevolent Society where you can get some one on one support here. It's good to hear you have family that cares but it can be so hard when they don't live close. Do you speak with them on the phone about how you've been feeling?

Bre-RO · ‎03-06-2020

Hey @Ecilaenuj Thanks for coming here to get this off your chest. I can imagine how upsetting that would have been to discover. I think it's positive that she has been honest with you about how often she has been smoking, though I can understand why you'd want to support her to stop. We've had lots of parents come to our forum to talk about similar situations with their teens smoking cannabis. We've put together a thread here which has some resources about smoking which might help you find a way to have a discussion with your daughter. Let me know if any of the links on that thread are helpful. We are here to help you chat through this difficult situation.

Bre-RO · ‎03-05-2020

Hey there @Fleurry Thank you for updating us. I can see how much it's hurting you to see your boy struggle but I can also see that you are a fiercely loving mum - as long as he has your support and love I believe the clouds will clear for him. I know you're feeling lost but even with how hard things are you are still taking all the right steps. As you said, one day at a time. Let us know how the appointments with social worker and psych goes - we are all thinking of you and your son.

Bre-RO · ‎03-05-2020

Hey @Mother_of_teen Thanks for sharing with us. It sounds like you and your daughter have been through so much. I can only imagine how painful it has been to watch her go through such a hard time, whilst not being able to openly talk to her father about it all. Teen years are difficult in the best of times, so for her to have experienced the loss of a friend to suicide must have also been a traumatic thing to have happen. From what you've said, it sounds like you have done everything in your power to keep your daughter safe and on track. I can hear the frustration you're experiencing - I want to acknowledge that while it might not feel like it, you are doing so well at keeping your daughter well. I can see why you'd feel like nothing is changing but the fact that you've been able to get your daughter into study is huge. It must be hard working in mental health and also having to juggle this in your personal life. I'm just wondering if you have any support? I was just thinking this coaching program we have available with The Benevolent Society, might be of interest to you. You are doing so well and I'm really happy you've come here to get this off your chest. I'm wondering if any of our parent champions have some words of support? @JAKGR8 @Dad4good @sidneysdad @sunflowermom @PapaBill

Bre-RO · ‎02-27-2020

Hey parents I just wanted to tag some of you that have been chatting about cannabis use over the past week. We have created this thread so that parents going through similar experiences can connect as well as get some resources. @Amatt1970 @pinetruth

Bre-RO · ‎02-25-2020

Hey @Fleurry Just checking in here to say thanks for introducing yourself to the community and to let you know that I've responded to you in more detail here.

Bre-RO · ‎02-25-2020

Hey @Kt537 Just thought I'd check in to tag some parent champs who may be able to provide some support to you during this hard time and also to see if you've had a chance to look at those resources. @compassion @sunflowermom @JAKGR8

Bre-RO · ‎02-24-2020

Hi @Kt537 Thank you for raising what is happening for family here. I can understand what you've said around this being a public forum. You are welcome to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. We have some resources on both how to support your teenager if they don't want help here and also how to talk to your teenager about suicide here. This must be a really difficult time for you. I'm just wondering if you have any support for yourself? In case you are wanting to talk with someone about this in more depth I've linked you to our page with telephone support for parents here. We are also here to chat you through this. Hope to hear back from you when you're up to it.

Bre-RO · ‎02-24-2020

Hi there @Fleurry Welcome to ReachOut and thank you so much for sharing what is happening for your family with us. This definitely sounds like a time where you need to take advantage of all the support that is available to you. I'm so sorry to hear how hard things have been for your son and yourself. It must be very painful to watch him go through all of these challenges. I have to say, you sound like an incredibly strong and loving mum. You have taken all of the right steps by getting the police involved as well as a mental health team. While your son has been really tested in his life, I can hear that he is in safe hands with you. My heart goes out to you both after reading what took place earlier this year. That must have been horrible. I just wanted to check in and ask if you have any support at this time? It sounds like having someone to talk to could really help. I'll be keeping an eye out for a response from you but in the meantime here are some telephone supports that are available for parents of teens. If you feel like you could use someone to talk to, they are there to support you. We are also here for you. There are lots of parents here that have been through difficult times, I hope some of them can jump in here to offer some words of support. Just going to tag a few wonderful parents in this. @JAKGR8 @Dad4good @PapaBill @compassion @sunflowermom Also, just letting you know that I edited some of your post as there were parts that were not in line with our community guidelines. You can read through them at some point when you feel up to it here. Hope to hear from you soon!

Bre-RO · ‎02-14-2020

It has been so heart-warming to see Parents coming together to support each other through tough times and tricky situations. Thank you for reaching out to this community and big thank you to those who have been giving incredible support across the forums. I wanted to give @sidneysdad a huge shout out! You have been so supportive to a number of parents, on a number of different topics. Congrats on being part of what makes this community special and becoming a Parent Champ! As always @compassion - as the username suggests you put so much thought and care into your responses to parents and it's clear how helpful that is. Thank you for your dedication and time, we appreciate it so much. @Welloffspring thank you so much for making your first post here! Putting together a really practical response about HSC stress - It was well written and very informative. I'm sure lots of parents will be able to take something from what you've shared. That's a wrap for this week! A big thanks to everyone who is part of this community

Bre-RO · ‎02-14-2020

Hey @Bungarra Just checking in to see how you are going with this? There has been some awesome tips here when you have some time to read through :)

Bre-RO · ‎02-13-2020

Hey Parents, We wanted to make this post to acknowledge that over the past few weeks there has been a lot of talk about cannabis use. Firstly, it's really great to see you all here talking through these trying times. It's clear that you're all really caring parents that want the absolute best for your young people. A part of what makes online communities like this so helpful, is that you can connect with people going through similar challenges. I'm going to tag some people who have been talking about this but also recognise that the questions raised reflect different stages of using cannabis. From experimentation to addiction, so with that said there will be diverse experiences. As this is an international forum there will also be people coming from differing legal perspectives. @newtoparenting @Maggiecoco @melinee @CBlovesherboy If you're wanting more information about Cannabis and your teen we have a resource here. For more specific resources head over to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website here. There is also an awesome TedEd video here that is clear and teen friendly - could be a good one to sit down and watch with your young person to inspire an open chat. I've also thought of a few questions to get a discussion going, if you'd like to. ReachOut also has an article here on 6 steps to help you tackle difficult conversations. Questions: How do you plan for tricky conversations with your teen? What support do you need to talk about cannabis with the young person in your life? Thank you all again for your honesty and entrusting ReachOut with your stories. We are here to support you!

Bre-RO · ‎02-06-2020

Hey @bulldog332 Welcome to the Parents community! I think it's great you reached out to get some support for yourself and your son. It is such a huge transition going to high-school. Sitting together and talking at the dinner table sounds like a really nice routine to have. I have fond memories of doing the same with my family (even though they didn't always work out, as you said). I'm sure you'll come across other parents here who are going through similar reservations about your kids entering teen years.

Bre-RO · ‎01-31-2020

As the name suggests we are all about reaching out to other parents/support networks when things get tough. This week we've seen a lot of brave parents who have come here to unpack some really challenging situations. We'd like to recognise that it's not always easy to do this on an online space but we're so happy that you made it to our forums and we hope this can be a place where you find the support you need. So a couple of shout outs this week are going to... @Maggiecoco who has been getting some support here. If you have any words of support for them that would be amazing :) @Zayray opened up about a really tough situation here We just wanted to say that we're grateful that you have shared these tough times with us and hope to continue supporting you through these tough times

Bre-RO · ‎01-31-2020

Hey @Seeker Hope you don't mind, I'm just checking in to see how things are going with yourself and the young person you've come here to get support with. We're thinking of you both.

Bre-RO · ‎01-23-2020

Hey Parents! We completed our Facebook live series last night, finishing off with a really important topic. Negative body image and eating disorders are something almost every young person will be exposed to in one way or another. As a complex issue, it's one that requires careful navigation from parents and family. Click here to join Juliette Thomson, National Helpline Manager & Psychologist at The Butterfly Foundation and father of two Gavin Holman, who’ll share their experiences with body image and eating disorders. Missed one? No problem, you can watch our previous ReachOut Parents Live panels in our videos here: www.facebook.com/ReachOutAUS/videos/ Or, listen as a podcast here: www.ReachOut.click/Parents_Podcast

Bre-RO · ‎01-17-2020

Hey there Parent community! To wrap the week up we'll be sharing some highlights that we've noticed throughout the week. It is so heart-warming for us to see you all come together to support each other. There is something so special about being understood by sharing lived experience with others Today I wanted to give a big shout out to @JAKGR8 for providing comfort and options to a new member here And a big thanks to @sunflowermom for providing hope to a member here in need of reassurance. We are blown away by all of you! :)

Bre-RO · ‎01-16-2020

Oh @Familyof6 that must be so hard to watch. Leaving school is such a huge time of transition and adjusting and can be enough for anyone to start feeling not quite themselves. It sounds like you have a really open relationship with your son and it's really great to hear that he opened up to you and told you how he's been feeling. There's some resources for parents here on how to tackle tricky conversations and build resilience to deal with these difficult changes that we're presented with in life. I'm just wondering if you think he might benefit from chatting with a counsellor about the angry outbursts? You mentioned it often happens out of context, which might mean there are some deeper feelings going on. Looking forward to hearing back from you!

Bre-RO · ‎01-15-2020

Heya @Louise22 It must be so heart wrenching to watch your daughter go through such a tough time. I'm really glad you've come here to get this off your chest and reach out for support, I know you are definitely not alone in this struggle It can be really hard to encourage anyone to take on professional help but it's really positive that you're making that an option for your daughter. If it's something she ever wants to pursue, you've made it safe for her to do so, which is really important. As you've mentioned that she isn't ready to take that step, do you think that she might be receptive to some other forms of help? Sometimes indirect support such as, doing activities she enjoys, spending quality time together (and with other valued friends and family members) can be a good way to start having conversations around recovery. I've personally found chatting in the car whilst driving, is a good way of getting a teen talking! I'm sure there are some other members here who could also provide some tips - @JAKGR8 @PapaBill @sunflowermom are all incredible parents who I'm will have some ideas to share. We're keen to hear back from you and you're welcome to come here and confine in us any time you need to

Bre-RO · ‎01-09-2020

Hey @Adorable80 Thank you for sharing what you're going through with your son, I think this is something that a lot of families struggle with and something lots of parents here could relate to. It sounds like having your husbands support with this would mean a lot to you. I'm wondering if any of our parent champs would have some ideas on how to open up a deeper conversation about this with your husband - @Dad4good @sunflowermom @PapaBill @JAKGR8 It is clear that you love your son and it is often an act of love to set boundaries, even though that can raise conflict within the family unit. Do you think sitting down with both your son and husband to talk about this is an option for you? We're keen to hear back from you and see if there's any more we can do to support you during this difficult time.

Bre-RO · ‎12-13-2019

That sounds lovely @sunflowermom Being that in Australia Christmas time is quite hot, it is really cool to think about what a white Christmas would be like. We hope you don't fall on the ice this year!

Bre-RO · ‎12-09-2019

Hi @chippy Hope you don't mind me joining in on this conversation. It's great to hear that his dad and yourself are doing so well at co-parenting! That would make times like this much easier to manage. It sounds like time with Dad is a positive right now. How do you feel about what your son expressed to you? I agree, very to the point and honest! Based off that one comment it seems that he knows that you are a support to him and that he has insight into his behaviours. Which is a really good thing. We're here to give support as you go through the challenges of teenage years Hope to hear back from you soon.

Bre-RO · ‎12-09-2019

Hi @Shortstuff2 Hope you don't mind that I jump in here to send my support to you and your son Whilst being bullied is a heartbreaking thing to go through and to watch - I believe the most important thing is having a safety network of support people who can remind you of who you truly are, help build your coping skills and be a shoulder to cry on when needed. It sounds like you have a wonderfully open and trusting relationship with your boy and I'm sure he can feel your love and support. It's also great that you've planted the seed of going to see the counsellor again - maybe this could be a suggestion to revisit in the future. We'll be thinking of yourself and your son Please let us know how you go with the next steps in managing this situation.

Bre-RO · ‎12-09-2019

Hi there @MomForJustice Thank you for reaching out for support with this situation. It's so heartbreaking when your child is being bullied. I'm just wondering if you have spoken with the school about this/are they aware of the bullying? We have an article that takes parents through some steps that can be taken if your child is being bullied here In terms of your rights, I believe that would be dependant on your country and school. As we are an Australian organisation I'm not sure I'd have relevant information for you. However this link will take you to a page that has some information for you on Laws for Bullying in school. Keep us posted on how you go with this and know we're here to listen

Bre-RO · ‎12-09-2019

Hey @20201361 Thank you so much for coming here to get support with this. I can sense the concern in your post, it must be really hard for you to watch your son go through this. It sounds like you and your son have a great open dialogue between you and I think it's really positive that he is sharing with you - that way you're able to give your support to him and make sure he is okay. I'm just wondering with his comments about his dad hurting himself. Do you know if his father has expressed that he intends to hurt himself to your son? Handling these situations can be really tricky and I'm sure some other parents here have been through similar situations. Do any parent champs have some words of wisdom? @JAKGR8 @PapaBill @sunflowermom @taokat @Dad4good We have some resources on communicating with an ex-partner here that might be helpful in thinking through how to approach this situation. Let us know how you go with talking to your ex - we hope you're both able to think of ways of ensuring your son doesn't take on too much responsibility.

Date Registered	‎07-25-2019 11:16 AM
Date Last Visited	Wednesday
Total Messages Posted	85
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Date Last Visited	Wednesday

About Bre-RO

About Bre-RO

About Bre-RO

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