Hi @missymoo13 , welcome to the ReachOut community! It takes strength to reach out for support, and your willingness to connect here shows just how resilient you are as a parent. It's clear that you care deeply about your children and their well-being.  I’m really sorry to hear about the challenges you and your family have faced and are currently facing. Dealing with family violence and the subsequent impacts on your children sounds incredibly painful and overwhelming, and I wanted to acknowledge your courage in facing such difficult circumstances. It's understandable to feel let down by systems that were meant to protect your family. Your commitment to self-care amidst these circumstances is admirable. Taking care of yourself, no matter how small the gesture, is crucial during tough times. Your tip for parents navigating the teenage years is insightful and reflective of your understanding of the importance of giving teens the space to grow and discover themselves. It can be really important to strike that balance between offering support and granting independence.  I encourage you to create your own thread here to share more about your journey and to connect with other parents who may be going through similar challenges. And I wish you all the luck in finding connection and support within the ReachOut community ... 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

That's true - bullying behaviour is not ok in any circumstances and he does need to learn what is acceptable and what is not. It's important to address it now.   We have some great resources for you @twentyfive 1 Recognise Bullying behaviour at home 2 Talk to your teenager about their bullying behaviour 3 Here's a range of other things to try to help address this behaviour   Do let us know if any of these are helpful for you twentyfive! ... View more

Hey @twentyfive, awesome to hear... I think we decided at the end of the last discussion to talk about helping teens get or stay in casual/part-time work... What do you think? ... View more