Hi @Smith310,   I'm so sorry to hear that your son has been experiencing psychological distress and that this is causing you to worry. It is so hard to see our children suffering. It must be difficult for you if he is reacting this much each time you go to do seemingly simple tasks like leave or do something. It must also be so difficult for him. I'm glad to read that you have booked him in to see his doctor and that he'll be starting play therapy soon. I am reading that you are a very proactive and caring mother.   It's great that you reached out today and shared this with us. Looking after yourself during difficult times is very important and will help you cope, which means you'll be in a better position to support your son than if you didn't take the time to do so.  So please remember to look after yourself. You are welcome to post here for emotional support as you need it. Fingers crossed that things improve for you and him soon. If you feel up to it, we encourage you to update us on how things go with you/him. ... View more

Hi JoeLou20048   Aw, I'm so sorry to hear that your son is not attending school and feels like a freak. It sounds like the poor thing is going through a really difficult time .   It's great that you have made an appointment for you/ your son to see a GP - hopefully, they can look into some support/intervention options for your son.   Staying calm and responsive is great. Some parents find it hard to know what to do/say and find getting professional support helpful. Some support options include: ReachOut Parents One-on-One Support is a free service for parents/carers of 12 to 18-year-olds and includes up to four sessions with a professional experienced in supporting families. You can learn more about this service here. Parentline is a phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. They offer free, confidential, and anonymous counseling and support on parenting issues. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call (the number differs per state) if you're interested.  Please keep us updated on you/ your son's progress . ... View more

Hi @mick_, it sounds like you can very much relate to @Bobo2018. It is so hard to see our young ones suffer and make choices that we know are unhelpful for them in the long term.   It can be extremely disheartening when you reach out for support and end up on a waitlist. Hopefully, these waitlists move quickly for you so that you can get professional support ASAP.   I thought it might be useful to share some resources that you can use in the meantime: here here here Another good resource is Parentline. Parentline is a phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. They offer free, confidential, and anonymous counseling and support on parenting issues. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested.    Please feel free to keep us updated on your journey with your child. Things can, and often do, get better. ... View more

Dear @Mazza10    Wow! I can understand why you're in shock. That's a lot to be dealing with. It sounds like there are several things that are deterring you from having another baby right now, but you're also hesitant about terminating.   I've personally never been through this but I imagine it would be a difficult decision. Have you considered writing a pros and cons list? They sound incredibly simple but can be really helpful when making big decisions such as these.   It might be worth speaking to a doctor and talking about what is involved in terminating the pregnancy, when you would need to do things by, etc. There's no harm in having the conversation, and it may actually help you with your decision.    It might also be helpful to talk with a trusted, unbiased friend or family about what you're going through. Sometimes talking aloud about things can make our preferred choice clearer.   It's unfortunate that you view your partner as irresponsible and selfish, that you are not on great terms, and that this is causing your stress and anxiety. That definitely makes this whole process more difficult. ... View more

Hi @dafodil    Thank you for raising this issue as I'm sure many parents can relate to seeing a change in their child, especially after covid.   It is a bit concerning that he is withdrawing, and I can understand why you're feeling worried and wanting to change the situation. This post has brought you one step closer to resolving (or helping) this issue.   There are services available where you can get parenting support/assistance with regard to this issue. A really good resource for parents in your situation (if you're from Australia) is Parentline, as they offer free and confidential counseling and support to parents on any parenting issues they may be facing. They may be able to help you navigate this situation with your son, support you, and also refer you to any useful services in your area.  The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested.    Another great resource is ReachOut Parents One-on-One Support. This is a free service for parents/carers of 12 to 18-year-olds and includes up to four sessions with a professional experienced in supporting families. You can learn more about this service here.   Hopefully, parents who have been in a similar situation can offer you some words of wisdom and support as well.   Please let us know how you go with him :) ... View more

Hi @Littlelost ,   Aw, I can hear how much you love your daughter, and understandably how stressed you feel about her recent attitude.   I really like @Birdwings's suggestion of connection instead of correction.   When I read your post, I got the impression that your daughter is wanting distance, and is sort of pushing you away. I think it is good that you set the boundary that, if she does not clean her room, then she has to do her own washing, etc. I think that is fair enough. If I were you, I'd just let that be for a little while, and see how it goes, and focus on connection.   When I say focus on connection, I think it is important to not be too overbearing though. So, you might want to try to focus on connection but try to meet where she is at, because if all of a sudden you are trying too hard then it might push her away further. You might want to try different things and see how she reacts. For example, you might want to try asking less questions about here whereabouts, and see how that goes. When she speaks, you might also want to try reflecting what she says back to her, instead of asking questions, as this may help her to feel heard without encroaching on what she believes is her personal space. Try different forms of communication and see how you go. You might even want to note it all down so you have a record of it and can analyse it.   I thought I'd point out that, if you're from Australia, there are some free services that might be able to support you at the moment:   ReachOut Parents One-on-One Support is a free service for parents/carers of 12 to 18-year-olds and includes up to four sessions with a professional experienced in supporting families. You can learn more about this service here. Parentline is a phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. They offer free, confidential and anonymous counselling and support on parenting issues. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested.  Please keep us updated with how you go with everything!  ... View more

Dear @Janjan and welcome to our forums. We are happy to have you.   I can hear how much you love your son and want the best for him. It's so lovely to hear that you accept him as he is. I'm sure he'd appreciate that and that it would be good for his self-esteem! It sounds like you think the school doesn't understand him or his condition, which sounds really tough for you (and him). I'm glad that you came and joined our forums, and posted here. I hope you find it helpful. Please feel free to create your own thread at any time.   ... View more

Dear @Rainbow22,   I'm so sorry to hear that your daughter has begun food restriction - I'm guessing that this is due to body image concerns, is that correct? It would be very hard to see her doing this. How much is she restricting food?   It's good that you have noticed it and caught on early.... and that you took her to the doctor. Are you getting the impression that she doesn't want to try anything or just medication? There definitely are other options, such as psychological treatment, that may also be able to help her. Additionally, I'm not sure if you're aware, but people with eating-disorder-based symptoms are eligible for up to 40 medicare rebate-able sessions and 20 dietetic service sessions in a 12 month period; this will make accessing evidence-based services more affordable for you and your family, assuming your daughter is eligible. You can read about this here. It might be worth speaking to your daughter's GP about getting these health plans/ referrals organised for your duaghter so that she can begin receiving some evidence-based treatment.   There are also eating-disorder-based helplines that you can contact for information and support, for example, butterfly foundation, and national eating disorder collaboration. You can check out their websites and/or call their helplines for more information. Some state-specific services are also outlined in this article we have here. We have other articles on eating disorders here which you might want to explore as well.   Again, it must be really terrible to watch your daughter restricting her food intake, and it's common for parents to feel helpless in such situations. You really sound like you are doing the best you can to support her . ... View more

Dear @Nowayout,   That sounds like an incredibly difficult situation to be in. We can hear that you really love, and want the best for, your son, and don't want to ruin his chances at a good future by charging him for his behaviour.    It sounds like you have tried several avenues to support him - seeing a paediatrician, put him through counselling, sending him to his dads, getting a DHS mentor, etc.   I thought I would link you this webpage that has information on behavioural problems. If you scroll to the bottom, it has information on treatment options and where to get help.   I'm wondering if you know much about behaviour management strategies... have you ever been informed about these? You can learn about some tangible behaviour management strategies here and here.   I know you said that the mentor recommended that you see someone, which I think (correct me if I'm wrong) you found unhelpful... Of course, you can do whatever you like or whatever you feel is right for you and your family, but it generally is recommended that parents seek professional support when their child is presenting with behavioural issues, for two reasons: 1) it can be extremely stressful to have a child with chronic behavioural issues and 2) learning behavioural management strategies is one of the most effective ways to manage a young person's behavioural issues. I wanted to point out that, seeking professional support, whether it be for stress or for learning parenting strategies, does not mean that you are the problem, or that you are a bad parent. In fact, many parents are likely to be unaware of these behavioural management techniques, and only get to know them once they are faced with a behaviourally difficult or defiant child.   Have a read through the websites that I linked you, and see what you have tried, what you haven't, what you think might work for you, what you think might not. Clear rules/boundaries and consequences might be a really good place to start.   It's really tricky because you don't want to enable his behaviour, or positively reinforce negative behaviours by giving in to his demands when he becomes aggressive, but you also don't want to be dealing with him being aggressive in the background when working from home or dealing with having to pay for his damages, or charge him, or have him become homeless. You definitely are in a tricky situation, and only you can decide what to do next. Perhaps you could benefit from thinking about some things such as:    ~ Is continuing to live this way likely to help him and his future?  ~ What has worked, and what hasn't worked, with him so far?  ~ What would happen if you were to set clear boundaries and consequences (e.g, if he becomes abusive again, that you will charge him) and follow through on those consequences? Do you think you'll be able to follow through on them? [a parent should always follow through on the consequences they set otherwise the child learns that it is an empty consequence]. Are you okay with these consequences occurring?  ~ Does he have any positive traits? If so, you might want to make a note to positively reinforce them by saying things like "I really like how you _____" or "I'm really proud of you for ______".   These are the sorts of questions that you can also run through and discuss with a counsellor or psychologist in more depth. Asking, and reflecting on, these sorts of questions might help you decide what to do next.   Additionally, I'm wondering if there is anywhere else where you can "work from home"? Might it be an idea to ask your workplace to come into the office? Or could you rent out a room in the local library and work from there, especially on the days that you have meetings so that you don't have to worry about him escalating in the background?   Additionally, it sounds like you are experiencing domestic violence, so you might want to contact services such as 1800 RESPECT, and other information and services such as those detailed on this webpage here might be relevant to you.   Additionally, if you were wanting free parenting support, there are some services available to you:  ~ Parentline is a phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. They offer free, confidential and anonymous counselling and support on parenting issues. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested.   ~ ReachOut Parents One-on-One Support is a free service for parents/carers of 12 to 18-year-olds and includes up to four sessions with a professional experienced in supporting families. You can learn more about this service here.   We're glad that you posted here looking for support. You don't have to go through these difficulties alone. ... View more

Dear @Pink_ribbon, and welcome to the forums. Thank you for checking in with @workingdad. It would be very difficult to see your daughter using weed.   ... View more

Dear @Lookatthat78,   I'm sorry to hear that you're having a difficult time getting your son to blow his nose.   We encourage you to speak with a professional about your experience so that you can receive the right support, tailored to you and your son.   We noticed you're from America. We are an Australian-based service so our employees do not know all of the services available to you in America. In Australia, we have a helpline called Parentline, where parents can call for anonymous parenting advice. We would encourage you to do a google search for a  similar service in your country.   In Australia, we also have a website for parents of young children that has lots of great advice and information. Here is the information relevant to toddlers (1-3 yr olds) https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers Here is information relevant to preschoolers (3-5 yr olds) https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers We encourage you to have a read of the articles on this website. Hopefully, you can find some information that is relevant to you and your situation.   Please let us know how you go!   ... View more

Hi @Blended90, and thanks for posting.   With knowing so little, it is hard to say whether you should or shouldn't invite her...It depends on what you and your partner want out of the situation...   You might want to try a problem-solving technique... so:   1) identify your goal, or the type of relationship you want with your step-daughter. 2) Consider the pros and cons of inviting her and not inviting her, and try and evaluate whether this would bring you closer or farther from your goal.   It might also be good for you and your partner to set some boundaries with the step-daughter, and to tell her you love her and want her company but will not accept x, y, z behaviours. This might be better coming from your partner instead of you, given that he's her father (correct me if I'm wrong but that's how I interpreted your post).   Please let us know how you go! ... View more

Dear @Hushpuppy11    We're sorry to hear your daughter is experiencing that.   I'm not too sure. Perhaps she could take someone else other than you for safety, like an aunty or uncle or some other trusted adult. Alternatively, you might want to contact the police and see if they can go with her (I'm not sure if they offer this service but there's no harm in asking). Otherwise, maybe she could ask her father to leave her belongings out the front for her to collect... What do you think of these ideas? ... View more

Hi @JK123  and welcome to this community. We hope you are doing well. Please feel free to read our fact sheets and articles (see here), create or respond to threads for support or to support others (see here).   I hope you don't mind that I have edited our your name from your post. Our community guidelines (see here) ask that members remain anonymous ... View more

Hi @Bperilous    I'm sorry to hear about what's been happening with your son. It sounds like it is really getting to him. It's unfortunate that his friends are no longer inviting him to social gatherings outside of school.   I'm sure many parents can relate to what your experiencing, so thank you for sharing. It is hard to watch out children be excluded and to suffer emotionally. It's good that you're conscious of his mental health and wanting to support him.   It's unfortunate that he has closed himself off from you, and that he is not open to talking about things. I'm wondering how you tend to broach the topic with him? How many times have you tried thus far?   Without knowing too much about your situation, I'd say it's important to let him know that you are there for him and that you love and care about him no matter what, if you haven't already expressed this already. Remind him that he can always talk to you.   Another thing is that, generally speaking, it is important for people who are feeling sad,  lacking motivation, and have stopped doing things to actually start doing things again. Motivation doesn't just appear - it comes from doing things. A good place to start may be by getting him to do things that he once enjoyed. However, I think it is important not to fall into the trap of pestering him too much, or putting too much pressure on him, as this may be unhelpful for him and your relationship. So, it might be useful to give this a try and see how he responds to it.   I'd encourage you to seek professional support on how to best support him. Having the insight of a mental health professional can be extremely useful in these instances. So, even if he's not open to getting the help or getting therapy, you can still get it so that you know how to best support him. It may also be helpful for your own mental health because it is often quite stressful to see someone you love struggling.   We have some articles that you might find useful. I thought I'd link some for you here:   https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/mental-health/getting-help-for-teenagers   https://parents.au.reachout.com/skills-to-build/connecting-and-communicating/effective-communication-and-teenagers   https://parents.au.reachout.com/skills-to-build/connecting-and-communicating/supportive-parenting-and-teenagers   We hope this information helps. Feel free to keep us updated on your situation. ... View more

Hi @Mistygirl    It must be so horrible to not be able to see your daughter. We're really sorry to hear that you're going through this and we're glad that you shared this with us. Hopefully posting on here brings you some comfort.   What are you doing to try and look after yourself during this difficult period? ... View more

Hi @Dad4good    Thank you for the update. It sounds like a lot has gone on for you over the past few years, and that you're feeling quite concerned over your son.   It is quite natural for parents to worry about their children. It's important to try and remember that as long as you are doing the best you can, then that is all that you can really do. I'm glad to hear that things have improved for him and that your youngest child is mentally well. I think engaging her in psychological treatment was a good precuatiounary measure, to try and maximise the chances that she remains mentally healthy, especially given some of what she has witnessed.    How do you tend to cope with your worry about your son? Do you have any tips to try and manage that at the moment?   Also, just letting you know that I did edit our descriptions of self-harm/suicide out of your post, as they this be triggering to members and is against our community guidelines.  I have replaced them with terms such as 'tried suicide' and 'self harm.' We hope this is okay with you. ... View more

Dear @andrew60    You're right...your world changes when you have children! They become your focus and you can lose your own sense of self. For your own sense of self-identity, it's important to try and set time aside to engage in your hobbies etc., but of course this is not always possible or we aren't always as able to spend as much time doing these things as we'd like.   Have you tried making friends with a few other mums or parents from your local park or school/kinder-garden or the leisure activities that your children attend? If not, it might be worth trying to spark up a conversation with someone, as they will likely have similar interests/responsibilities to you that you can bond over. Also, It might also be worth searching single mum groups in your area, or looking at social activities on apps/websites such as meetup.   Also, if you have people around you who are willing to help, then I'd encourage you to ask for help when you need it, to enable you to have some 'me' time which you very much deserve.   Thank you for raising this issue as I'm sure many single parents can relate to it! ... View more

Hi @Nabertater    I'm very sorry to hear that you experienced that. It sounds like a very uncomfortable situation. If you don't mind me asking, are you his mother or his father? How did he react to you telling him to stay in his room? ... View more

Hi @still-learning and thanks for sharing.   That sounds like an incredibly difficult situation to be going through and I can hear that you're feeling quite concerned, which is fair enough. It's difficult when our young ones refuse professional support, and it does leave us feeling quite helpless as parents.  It sounds like a decline in her mental health state was spurred on by isolation and COVID - is that correct? Has mental health treatment been helpful for her in the past?   I guess at this point, all you can do is continue to support her and monitor her. If mental health treatment has been helpful for her in the past, you might want to remind her of that. Scheduling pleasant activities for yourself and her to do together might also be helpful for her, as this has been shown to help with depression. It might also be an idea to get in contact with her past professional supports, to see if they have any advice on how to best handle the situation, given that they would know her quite well.   It's also important that you look after yourself as going through what you are can be very stressful, and take a toll on you. ReachOut Parents One-on-One Support is a free service for parents/carers of 12 to 18-year-olds and includes up to four sessions with a professional experienced in supporting families. You can learn more about this service here. I know you said your daughter is 19 but it still might be worth registering your interest with this service. Additionally, a really good resource for parents is Parentline, as they offer free and confidential counselling and support to parents and carers on any parenting issues they may be facing. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested. I believe that this service is targeted towards parents of children from birth to 18-years-old, but it still might be worth giving them a call to see if they can provide you with some advice. Alternatively, booking in with your own private psychologist might be an option, ideally one with some knowledge in the area of parenting and anorexia.   Wishing you all the best and keep us updated! ... View more

Dear @Sil77    I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through such a difficult time at the moment. Watching your son get bullied would be incredibly difficult .I can see how much you care about him and want the best for him.   It sounds like things are very unhealthy for him at school. @AvenueTribe offered some great suggestions, which might be really useful if you decide to keep your son at the same school.   It's so upsetting that his actual friends have started excluding him now, and that he no longer wants to go to school. @AvenueTribe is right in saying that his learning may now be impacted. The fact that your son is being bullied does not mean that he is a "terrible" kid. The reasons why bullying occurs are complex. To learn more about bullying - we have a few articles on bullying that may be of use to you. In this article "bullying and teenagers" - the video where the psychologist shares tips on how to support your child might be particularly useful. This article "what to do if your teenager is being bullied" might also be helpful. To try and understand why children bully, read here. These resources (here, here) by the raising children network are also really informative.   It might be best for both you and your son to get some professional support during this difficult time. For instance, your son can call Kids Helpline for free, confidential, 24/7 phone or online counselling.  You may also want to make contact with our one-on-one support service for parents, which is free (learn more about this service here and here). Parentline is also a good option - they're a free, confidential phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested. Other options include the school counsellor or seeing a private psychologist.   In terms of moving schools, it is hard to say with such little information whether this is the right idea for you and your son. Speaking to a professional will help you determine the right path forward. If you've tried all the things you can with the school, tried to teach your son strategies on how to deal with the situation, etc. and the bullying continues, then changing schools might be the right option. It might be best to book in with an educational or developmental psychologist, or a psychologist who has experience with bullying, to help with your decision.   We hope you find these resources helpful. Please keep us updated with how this all goes. ... View more

Hi @Uncle75    Welcome to the forums. It is so lovely that you have taken in your niece with what sounds like open arms, are getting her the right support, and are wanting to know how to approach her self-harm situation. She is very lucky to have you.   It is good that you have caught the self-harm behaviour early. You mentioned that she is seeing a play therapist. If this therapist has experience/knowledge with self-harm, it may be useful to ask them for advice. If not, then we recommend you see (or take your niece to see) a clinical psychologist. The clinical psychologist can teach her more adaptive coping strategies to use in place of her self-harm behaviours.   We have an article here that may help you better understand self-harm. We have multiple articles here about managing self-harm in teens. This one way may be particularly helpful. Feel free to have a read and tell us what you think!   There are also many helplines and free services available for extra support. For example, some really good resources include Parentline, Kids Helpline and our one-on-one support service.   Parentline is a phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. They offer free, confidential and anonymous counselling and support on parenting issues. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested.    Kids Helpline is a free Australian telephone and online counselling service for young people aged between 5 and 25. It may be worth passing on their number to your niece. Find out more about them here.   ReachOut Parents One-on-One Support is a free service for parents/carers of 12 to 18-year-olds and  includes up to four sessions with a professional experienced in supporting families. You can learn more about this service here.   Raising children network also has lots of great resources.   Also, just letting you know that I've had to edit out an aspect of your post because it describes a method of self-harm, which is against our community guidelines. ... View more

Hi @AntiTechGirl    Welcome to our forums and good on you for reaching out for help.   When (and if) you feel up to it, you are more than welcome to create your own thread in the "concerned about my teen" and "everyday parenting" sections of our forums. That way, you can tell us a little bit more about what is going on for you and we can provide you with some more tailored support.   We also have some really great resources that might be of benefit to you. For instance, we have a section where child/family professionals answer questions here, and a a whole bunch of articles and self-help content here. Feel free to have a browse .     ... View more

Hi @fdixon    Thanks for showing support and sharing what's going on for you. Also, welcome to ReachOut. I have had to edit out your contact details as it is against the following guideline of ours:   - Never reveal any personal details of your own or others: stay anonymous (this includes email addresses and links to social media pages like Facebook, Youtube, tumblr etc)   For more information on our guidelines, see here. ... View more

Hey @stressedmum4    Welcome to our forums and thank you for sharing what's going on with you. It must be really difficult to see such a change in your daughter and it would understandably leave you feeling a little worried about her.   I'm wondering if POTS was recently diagnosed...was it? And if so, how bad is it? Is it possible that this condition could be "getting" to her emotionally? If she's not able to do what she once could, then I imagine it would be quite an adjustment for her. Her condition could also be causing her to lay down /sleep - I mean, if standing is uncomfortable for her, then it makes sense that she is laying down. It might be worth booking her in with a psychologist for support, ideally a health psychologist, or someone who is familiar with POTS. A health psychologist could assist her with adjusting to her illness.   It sounds like you really care about your daughter and like you are doing your best to support her. It's so hard sometimes, especially if they don't open up. I imagine as a parent it would be hard to watch that - you know, we just want the best for our kids. I thought I'd inform you of a few services that may be of use to you. We have a one-on-one, free, coaching service where you can get advice and support on child-related matters. You can register for a session here. I thought I'd also inform you of ParentLine -they offer free and confidential counselling and support to parents and carers on any parenting issues they may be facing. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested.    If your daughter does end up opening up to you a little bit more, and if she says that she is a little distressed/upset at the moment, please feel free to give her Kids Helpline's number for free, one on one counseling. You can find their contact details towards the bottom of this page here. She may also like to join are Youth Forum for peer support which can be found here. It's anonymous forum and a lot of our young users find it really helpful to be able to connect with others going through similar situations.   Please keep us posted with how things go with your daughter. Hopefully she starts opening up about things soon (assuming something is wrong). ... View more

Hey @dav9011    Welcome to our forums!   Good question. It made me wonder whether you are a young parent yourself. Are you? ... View more

Dear @fallingapart    Welcome to ReachOut. I just wanted to acknowledge how hard you're trying with your daughter, and I can hear how understandably stressful this is for you. School refusal can be very hard to deal with, but there are some ways to try and manage it. I'd recommend getting professional advice.  It sounds like money may be a bit tight at the moment. We have a free, one-on-one parent coaching service which you can find here. Parentline may also be suitable - they offer free counselling to parents on any parenting issues they may be facing. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested.  It does sound like avoidance (who knows why - could be for a range of reasons). Generally, with avoidance, you want to careful not to reward that avoidance because that can help maintain the behaviour. E.g., if a teenager doesn't go to school, and instead does fun things like watching TV, then the teenager is "rewarded" for staying home, and will more inclined to stay home tomorrow again. Whereas, if the school still send work home for the teenager, and the teenager has to complete the work while at home, then this may be less rewarding for them, and they may be less inclined to stay home the next day. So, this is where some professional help could come into good use. They can perhaps educate you on how to best encourage/motivate your daughter to go to school, make staying at home less rewarding, and also help teach her coping skills so that she feels more able to deal with whatever is keeping her away from school  (assuming it's not a physical condition). If your daughter is not opening to seeking support at the moment, then you can still speak to a counselor/therapist/psychologist, and they can best guide you on how to cope with the situation. A psychologist might also be able to put together a plan to "ease" her back into school. Is there a school counselor available? I'm sorry to hear that the father isn't the most helpful. That makes things really difficult as it sounds like you really that extra support right now.  I am wondering if there's anyone else that could help drop off your daughter at school for a little while, such as a family member or close friend? It might also be worth telling your daughter about Kids Help Line (see here) or if she wants peer support, she can join our youth forum here. ... View more

Hey @csmith31    It's great that you're to take him to see a psychiatrist. It sounds like you are doing all you can to support your son, which is nice to see. I might also add that I think it is great that your son is receptive to help - as in, he is open to seeing a counselor and psychiatrist - as sometimes just getting people to accept help is half the battle...   I noticed that your son has only had 3 sessions for a counselor. Is there a reason why he isn't able to get more sessions? Also, if you think your son might find it helpful, you could tell him about Kids Helpline for counseling (have linked you there website here), or if he's after peer support, he can join our youth forum here.   I also just wanted to check in and see how you're going today. How are you? Parenting is tough, especially when these sorts of issues come up. I just wanted to acknowledge that it sounds like you're doing all the right things in terms of getting him support, so just hang in there and things should hopefully get better soon. ... View more

Hey @grandmother    I can understand why you're feeling concerned. That does sound really challenging, and it must be hard to watch things unfold like that. I'm slightly confused about an aspect of your post and just wanted some clarification from you. You said that "She has her boyfriend here and she's aggressive verbally and can't get her head around being dumped" - are you talking about our grandchild or your child here?    I'm really sorry you're going through this. It sounds like you're a wonderful grandmother and I'm sure your granddaughter really appreciates you.    I'm not sure if you're from Australia, but if you are, it might be worth calling the helpline "ParentLine" for some support on the issue...They offer free and confidential counselling and support to parents and carers on any parenting issues they may be facing. The number for ParentLine differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested. If you're not based in Australia, then it might be worth googling if there's something similar in your country.  ... View more