Hello @Latoya1977 , welcome to the forums. I’m sorry to hear that your daughter has also been having some difficulties being left out by her friends. Things must be so hard for her at the moment. It’s really great that she has you to support her and that you have helped her to become more socially connected with other groups around her. Thanks for sharing some of the strategies that you have found useful in navigating this challenge. I’m sure it will help some of our other community members who may be experiencing similar issues! ... View more

Hello @supportive1 , thanks for sharing some really great tips that you have used to help when you are feeling stressed. I truly agree with your top tip to pay attention to your teens emotional needs and have empathic conversations. Sometimes having a respectful and open relationship where good communication is key can really help to mitigate some difficulties that might be experienced.   It sounds like things are going well for you and your child at the moment, which is great to hear. If you ever do feel like you would like to get some support or share your story, please feel free to start your own thread by clicking “Start A Topic” in the top right corner . ... View more

Hello @Beena18 , I'm sorry to hear that you find asking for help difficult at times. It can be hard to follow through with advice when we are feeling overwhelmed and upset. It sounds like managing the home environment and the family's difficulties has been challenging for you lately, which is understandable. Do you have any other supports around you that might be able to help you with this?   I hope that you find talking with one of the counsellors at Parentline to be helpful. Please feel free to keep us updated here on the forums! ... View more

Hello @Mirrashards and welcome to the forums. Thanks for sharing with us here! I'm sorry to hear that you have found out that your daughter has been sneaking out at night to hang out with her friends. It is good that you are not worried about her safety as she comes home safe. It sounds like you are in a bit of a tricky situation here, and that how you manage it might depend on your relationship with your daughter. For example, if she told you that she has been sneaking out at night, you might feel more comfortable asking her who she hangs out with and what she has been doing. Can I ask how you found out about her sneaking out?   I've had a look at some threads from other parents that have been going through some similar experiences and will link them to you in case you might find reading through some of their stories and the advice/suggestions to be helpful. Here and here are some and here is another one. Hope these help!     ... View more

Hey @nataliestone , as mentioned in my other comment, I’m sorry to hear that you are feeling quite worried about your daughter and how she has not been able to make good friendships. From what you have mentioned, things sound really difficult for your daughter, and school sounds like it is a somewhat isolating experience for her. I think it is really great that you are reaching out here for support and looking for ways that you can help your daughter with what she is experiencing. I think it shows how much you care about your daughter .   It sounds like she is having some issues at school with her classmates and her schoolwork, so I am just wondering if any of her teachers, coordinators, or school counsellors have discussed with you how to best support your daughter? They may have some strategies that they could use to help your daughter get through this tough situation. In regards to the forums that you think might be helpful for your daughter, I have had a look at some online youth forums that are available in the USA and found one here that you might want to look further into. We also have some resources on our website about how to help your teenager make friends that you might find to be helpful. Here is a link to one if you are interested.   You also mentioned that you have seen your daughter feeling down, but that it does not compare to how she has been feeling today. I just wanted to ask if you have any concerns about your daughter’s safety? ... View more

Hey @nataliestone sorry to hear that you are going through a similar thing with your daughter and feeling unsure about how to help her. It’s great that you have shared your story and reached out for support ! I noticed that you made a separate thread to discuss what your daughter is going through, so I will be responding on there shortly . ... View more

Hello @Tomson  thanks for giving us a bit of an update!  it’s great to hear that you will be trying the resources out and that you have had a discussion with your wife today about taking your niece to get some counselling. It sounds like you care a lot about your niece and are supportive of her and her needs. We look forward to hearing from you about how everything goes . ... View more

Hello @Birdwings , it’s great to see you here reaching out for support. I think it shows how much you care about your friends and their children . You sound like a really caring and considerate person. I think you raise some really good points to help put into perspective some of the difficulties that their children are experiencing. Some of which people may not have considered before. I also agree that there have been changes to the way we are now living that are different to what things were like pre-covid. I know of some changes that are for the better though, such as having more flexibility around appointments with health professionals. Hopefully you have also found that there are some positives that have come as a result of these changes too  .   You mentioned some difficulties managing getting back into a routine and order, and recognising that your children are not necessarily able to get back to where they were. Have you been able to find any strategies that have helped with managing these changes? Are there any particular strategies that your children have found to be helpful?    ... View more

Hello @Brunswickmum thanks for sharing your story with us here on the forums. It’s really lovely to see the support and advice that you have provided to other community members here. I am sorry to hear about what you and your son have been going through. It sounds like you care a lot about your son and are supportive of his needs. It is unfortunate to hear about your son’s experiences with health care services and that you are worried for him and his health after he turns 18. You spoke about having someone to vent to or work through with, which is a really helpful strategy. Do you have someone that you have found has helped you through things? Do you have any professional supports around you at the moment that are helping you?  ... View more

Hello @mmichelw and welcome to the forums. Thanks for sharing your story with us here. I am sorry to hear about what you have been going through with your son. It seems like things have changed quite quickly which has made things a bit harder to manage. It sounds like you care deeply about your son and want the best for him, which is why he is linked in with various professional supports. It is great to hear that he is seeing a GP and psychologist to manage his mental health concerns. You mentioned that things have been moving quite quickly, do you know if his psychologist knows about what has been happening lately? Would it be helpful to have a discussion with them about how your son's recent behaviour might be better managed or approaches that might be helpful?   You also mentioned that you had taken away your sons medication after a recent incident. Can I ask if you have any concerns about your son's current safety? Has anything like this happened since then?    It sounds like you are quite concerned about your son using drugs, which is quite understandable. Do you think it would be helpful to have a discussion with him about his alcohol use and maybe enquiring about any possibly drug use? It might be a good way to start the conversation about it and for you to feel able to talk with him about your concerns.    I have also had a look at some other threads from our other community members who are going through similar situations as you might find reading through their threads and the support provided to be helpful. Here is a link to one and here is another one.    I also just wanted to let you know that I have had to edit some parts of your post to fit in with our community guidelines which you can have a read through here if you would like .  ... View more

Hello @Mishmash , I'm sorry to hear that your son has not spoken to you properly in over a year and that he does not treat you well. It sounds like you care a lot about your son, so I can't imagine how upsetting it must be that this is happening. Feeling like you are dying inside sounds like a really difficult feeling to experience. Is there anyone that you feel comfortable talking to about what you have been going through? Sometimes being able to talk with someone about what we are going through and how we are feeling can mean so much.  Is there anything that you have been doing to help you get through these tough times? ... View more

Hello @Safetyman_82! I'm sorry to hear about the troubles you have been having with your step-son. It sounds like you are in a really tough position and that it is hard to manage your step-son when he behaves like this. It also sounds like you care a lot about your step-son and wife and want to support them both as much as you can. I've had a look at some threads from other community members who were in similar positions and thought that you might find reading through the posts and the advice given to be helpful. Here is a link to one and here is a link to another one .    Sometimes upholding boundaries and the consequences of breaking these boundaries can be a really difficult task. If you ever wanted to talk to someone a bit more about how you might be able to manage this situation  Parentline offers free and confidential counselling for parents. You could also talk to them about how this has been impacting you or any other concerns that you might have about your step-son's behaviour and how to best support him. Hope this helps! ... View more

Hey @maxnally  sounds like you're quite frustrated at the fact that your independence is not accepted by your mother and that she is a very concerned parent. While you may not be able to change her behaviour, have you been able to try setting some healthy boundaries? Boundaries can include saying things like "I can hear that you're concerned mum and I appreciate how much you have sacrificed and don't want to see that go to waste. However I am an adult now and need your support more right now." Sometimes parents cannot let go as their identity is tied up with parenting and allowing you to embrace your adulthood and independence may make her feel that you no longer need her. So if you try to reiterate that you very much need her support while making your own decision, that may be better received as she still has a part to play. Hope this helps in some way. ... View more

HI @Mumneedsadvice I'm sorry to hear that you feel as thought your daughter has been self-harming. It sounds like things are quite tough for you at the moment as you care a lot about your daughter. You mentioned that your daughter is adamant she didn't harm herself but that you think she is in denial. Is there anything in particular that makes you think that the harm was intentional?   I also just wanted to ask if you have any concerns for your daughter's current safety?   I also just wanted to let you know that I have edited some parts of your post to fit in with our community guidelines. ... View more

Hello @Exhausted594 , I’m sorry to hear that you are feeling lost and unsure about what to do. It sounds like you are in a really challenging situation and that you have taken a lot of responsibility for your niece and her needs. That must be a lot to handle. You sound like a really caring and thoughtful person, and I am sorry to hear that this situation has been leaving you feeling worried and sad.   It also sucks to hear that you reached out for support from your nieces family but that they did not offer much help or support. You mentioned that you have taken on the financial responsibility of caring for your niece on top of yourself and that this has been hard at times. There is a service called Carer Gateway that provides emotional, practical, and financial support for carers which you might find to be helpful. They have a lot of resources on their website and a helpline that you can call to get some support.   I can understand why you set up these boundaries with your niece and why you had told her to go back to her father and step-mother when she violated these boundaries. Sometimes upholding boundaries and the consequences of breaking these boundaries can be a really difficult task. If you ever wanted to talk to someone a bit more about how you might be able to manage this situation, or about how you are feeling,  Parentline offers free and confidential counselling for parents and carers. Hopefully you find these services to be helpful . ... View more

Hello @Ajsmumma , thanks for updating us here on the forums. Sorry to hear that the past 24 hours have been tough for you. It sounds like the discussion with your daughter did not go as planned. Feeling triggered and hypervigilant about your daughter doing something must be tough feelings to sit with. You mentioned that you believe your daughter is safe and that you had planned to check in with her. How is she going at the moment? Do you have any current concerns for her safety?   It sounds like it can be hard to enforce boundaries and challenge your daughter for concerns of how she would react, which sounds quite understandable. It must be quite hard for you to manage this. You mentioned that your daughter is receiving some professional support at the moment, do they know the details of what she has been going through lately?   It sounds like things are quite overwhelming for you at times. Caring for others can sometimes take a big toll on our ability to care for ourselves. Do you have any professional supports at the moment? If you feel like you ever want to talk to someone about what you are going through there are services like Beyond Blue or Parentline that can support you through this . ... View more

Hello @Ajsmumma and thanks for sharing what you have been going through with us. It sounds like you have been going through a lot lately as you have been supporting your daughter who has been impacted by the separation. Do you have many supports around you at the moment during this time too?   It is really great to hear that your daughter is currently receiving some support for her mental health concerns. It sounds like you are very supportive of your daughter and understanding of her and her needs. You mentioned that your daughter has self-harmed in the past, has she been self-harming lately? Do you have any concerns about her current safety at all?   Feeling like your daughter might not trust you must be a really hard feeling to sit with. You mentioned that you hope to have a chat with your daughter about it when she comes home, have you had the chance to chat with her yet? If not, it might help to talk to her about why she might have hidden the drinking from you and work with her to hopefully keep your relationship open and supportive moving forward (as it sounds like it has been).   I have had a look at some other threads from some of our community members and found this thread here that discusses underage drinking and some strategies to manage it. I hope you some of the advice in it to be helpful! ... View more

Hey @Stress-head , thanks for keeping us updated here on the forums! It’s great to hear that your son has agreed to see the GP and that you have found the SES and RFS to be helpful. It must provide a sense of relief for you that he is reaching out for supporting and willing to see the GP. I hope that things go well this week when you check-in with your son . ... View more

Hello @Hedwig I am sorry to hear about what you have been going through. It sounds like things have been really difficult for you for a while and that you are understandably feeling exhausted. It must be quite challenging raising two young children and not being able to have support from your partner as he is busy with work. Do you have any family or friends around you that have been able to help you with this?   Feeling like you are failing your children sounds like a really tough feeling to sit with. I am sorry to hear that you have been feeling that way. Is there anyone that you have felt comfortable talking to about some of these thoughts that you have been having?   I also just wanted to let you know that I will be sending you an email shortly, so please keep an eye out for that . ... View more

Hello @NLSBH and welcome to the forums. Thanks for sharing your story with us here, it is great that you have reached out for some support. I am sorry to hear that you are feeling at a loss with how you can continue to support your son in managing stress and academic pressure. It sounds like you have been supporting your son well throughout this and that you care a lot about him and his mental health.   Pressure from grades and perfectionism can be really hard to manage when it comes to schooling. It sucks to hear that he has been worrying himself sick and that this stress has been having such an impact on him. Unfortunately, teenagers stressing over school and grades can be quite a common occurrence, so we actually have a few articles about this that you might find to be helpful. Here is an article on how to help your child develop some coping strategies and here is another on how to manage stress with relaxation strategies.    You mentioned that your son had reached out to a psychologist for support before which is really great! Its unfortunate that he does not want to see another psychologist, but understandable as sometimes meeting new people can be difficult. If he feels like he would like to talk with someone about what he is going through in the future, there are services like Kids Helpline and Headspace that offer free and confidential telephone and online/chat counselling. Hope this helps! ... View more

Hello @chasingrainbows, I am sorry to hear about what you are going through. It sounds like things have been very tough for you. It is good that you have been receiving some support from your family throughout these difficult times. Feeling like you are losing your compass as a mother must be very difficult to go through. It is really great that you have reached out for support and assistance here on the forums. You mentioned in your other post that you have taken your daughter's phone away whilst she is sleeping, does that mean that your daughter is safe at the moment?    It must be really hard to hear that your daughter has pushed others away and only connects with her friends. Has she received any support previously? You mentioned that she had attempted suicide and has been self-harming, has she had any professional supports following this? If she is not currently seeing any professionals but would like to talk to someone about what she has been going through, there are services like Headspace and Kids Helpline that offer telephone and online counselling sessions that she might find to be helpful.    If you also wanted to talk with a counsellor about what you are going through, Parentline offers free and confidential telephone counselling for parents and carers. I hope these are helpful . ... View more

Hello @chasingrainbows I'm sorry to hear about what you have been going through lately. It sounds like thing have been really tough for you. It's great that you have some coping strategies that you can use to help manage some of these stressful times. It sucks to hear that these are not helping as much though. I think it is great that you have reached out here for support and shared your story with us. I can see that you have shared more details on another thread, so I will share some resources that might be helpful on that thread  .  ... View more

@mabCOLONEL I am glad to hear that you and your children are safe and that you feel that you are able to take action to help keep them safe and happy. Feeling that you have some time to weigh your options out and make a rational decision on how to respond must be relieving. It is great that your fiancé is a great support to you and that she is ready to listen and protect you. Sounds like you have a very supportive and considerate relationship together. I hope that you are able to find some helpful legal advice or support that can help your future decision making.   You are also more than welcome to continue posting on the forums for support, I just wanted to let you know that we are based in Australia which is why we are unable to provide local resources that might be of help. Hopefully some of our other community members can jump in soon and offer some additional advice and support .   ... View more

Hello @Brotherparent and welcome to the forums! It seems like you are in a bit of a tough situation at the moment as your brother is being disrespectful and does not listen to you or your mother. It is really awesome of you to help your mother out by helping to raise your brother. You must care a lot about both of them.   You mentioned not knowing how to get through to your brother, which unfortunately is sometimes quite common. I am just wondering if you have been able to have a discussion with your brother about why he has been acting this way and how he can work together with you a bit more? We actually have some articles that discuss communicating with teenagers and some supportive parenting techniques that you might find to be useful. Here is a link to the article on effective communication and here is one on supportive parenting.  Hope they help! ... View more

Hello @mabCOLONEL I’m sorry to hear about what you have been going through. It sounds like things have been really tough for you lately. It really sucks to hear that you feel like your parents have been using you as a scape goat and that they have given you an ultimatum for them to see your children more.   I can understand why you felt shocked when your parents said that they would sell the house if you did not let them see your children as it sounds like a big decision. I think you have thought through this and have made some good moves to protect yourself and your family. Do you think it might also be helpful to speak to a lawyer or a legal aid service to get some more support or advice? Unfortunately, we are an Australian service so our local options would not be suitable. However, I have found a website that lists some free and low cost legal help services that you might be able to use if you are interested. They may be able to help by answering some of your questions that you had about asking the court to prevent your parents from having visits.   It sounds like things are tough right now, so I was just wondering if you have anyone that you feel comfortable talking to about what you have been going through? I have also found this website that lists various helplines available in the USA that looks like it could be useful if you are interested in talking with a counsellor about what you have been going through.   I also just wanted to let you know that I will be sending you an email shortly, so please keep an eye out for that  . ... View more

  Hello @ImNotOk , I am sorry to hear about what you went through and sorry that you are still not feeling okay. I imagine it would be really hard to not have anyone to talk to about this and not feel able to allow yourself to open up to your friends and family. Sometimes being the strong, supportive family member can be really hard when we are the ones that are needing some support of our own. It sucks that accessing local counselling services is particularly difficult and does not feel like an option at the moment.   Would you feel comfortable talking with a counsellor online or over the phone? There are various services such as helplines and online counselling services that would offer these instead if you would find that to be helpful. Unfortunately, we are an Australian service so our local support options won't be suitable. Although, I did find this website that lists various helplines available in the USA that looks like it could be useful if you are interested in talking with someone.   I can hear how much you care about your son in the words that you write, and I can also hear how tough this has been for you. It is understandable that you are wanting to support your son but are feeling unsure on how to best do so at the moment. Would you feel comfortable talking with your son about how you feel and seeing how he would feel best supported at the moment? ... View more

Hello @dafodil , I am sorry to hear about the stressful situation that you are in. It sounds like you care a lot about your son and want the best for him. It is great to see the support that you have received so far on from our community. @Aj81lv  raised some good points and provided some lovely advice and suggestions. The idea of trying out some activities that you enjoyed with your son sounds like it might be helpful to consider. Hopefully some of our other community members will jump in soon to offer some more lovely suggestions and support.   Please feel free to keep us updated here on the forums if you would like .   ... View more

Hello @OzDreams , it sounds like you are understandably quite concerned about your daughter's friend. Seems like it is quite a tough situation and that you have been really considerate of your daughter's friend and their safety. I am sorry to hear that his mother had verbally attacked your wife when you and your wife had good intentions in looking out for your daughters friend. It sounds like it would have been quite tough for your daughter to hear about what their friend has been going through. Do you have any concerns about your daughter and how she has been feeling?   You mentioned wanting some further advice, so I have sent you an email to let you know about the next steps to take to help keep this young person safe. Please keep an eye out for it shortly . If you are ever concerned about the young person's immediate safety, please call 000 for support.  ... View more