Hey Concerned-Mum Welcome to our online community and good on you for reaching out, it can take alot of courage. Im sorry to hear youre having a tough time with your son. Know that youre not alone, this is a very common issue that many parents face unfortunately. It sounds like you are very concerned about the impact that alcohol and drugs can have on all of us, particularly young people and you just want the best for him and his future. I think its great that you have tried to explain to him about the effects they have on a developing brain as well as that you dont condone this but it sounds like this just keeps falling on deaf ears. The mistrust now must also be very difficult. There is a great article here on developing ways to communicate better with teenagers that may be worth checking out if you havent already. https://parents.au.reachout.com/skills-to-build/connecting-and-communicating/effective-communication-and-teenagers?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnsqdBhCGARIsAAyjYjRhF2Ibz0CsXINUdl-9T6eO1tY1PP4GpuysTM2dL-1AGncwM-2CGQcaAgQ3EALw_wcB There are also some great articles here and here on understanding why teenagers turn to alcohol and drugs and helping to manage this a bit better. https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/everyday-issues/drugs-and-teenagers https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/everyday-issues/alcohol-and-teenagers?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnsqdBhCGARIsAAyjYjTiQ8nkzyrfnjrygBaqk8Hsl9vWvsocGvxaHXEkdUVTbOp1SwLbTdoaAjGTEALw_wcB Im wondering how are you coping with all of this? Have you been able to talk with your son's father or another parent about any of this? I cant imagine how much stress its causing. In case you were unaware, Reachout also have a great one on one coaching support service here for Parents that you may find helpful and may be worth looking at. https://parents.au.reachout.com/one-on-one-support ... View more

Hey HailieB Welcome to our online community and good on you for reaching out. Sounds like you want to get a head start on being the best parent you can which i think is amazing. Im wondering whats prompted this for you if anything - have you witness something or has happened with a family member or friend's child? ... View more

Hey Denzil Thanks for sharing how ADHD impacts yourself and your family. Im sure this will be helpful for MVA50 to hear. Sounds like the medication has mixed effects, which must be very frustrating. Good on for reaching out. ... View more

Hey Deemf5 Sounds like youre really concerned about all your kids and just wanting the best for them. It must be very stressful trying to protect your younger kids and not let your eldest set bad examples. I can only imagine you must feel like your at whits end to start wondering whether there is such a thing as adopting a child out. How serious do you think you are about this? Its great you’ve reached out here. Im wondering if you’ve been able to bring it up with him and if so, how he has responded? Whilst it can be really difficult, having a frank and open conversation about drug use is really important. There are some great tips about having conversations with teenagers about drug use (https://forums.parents.au.reachout.com/t5/Ask-a-Child-and-Family/Drugs-How-to-have-the-conversation-with-my-child/td-p/15305). Maybe it would be worth checking them out. Sounds like perhaps the drugs are getting in the way of school attendance also. Have we been able to get any involvement or support from the school around this? It may be helpful to speak with someone at the school such as school counsellor or wellbeing coordinator about whats happening if possible. There is also some support available for you if you would like some additional support. Parentline.com.au provide free counselling for parents in Australia as well as have some great resources on their website. Hope some of this is helpful for you, let us know how you're going. ... View more

Hey Marie Sounds like your very concerned about your granddaughters, particularly the older one and just want the best for them. Teenage years is some of the hardest for parents and caregivers. It does sound like there is a lot of anger in what you describe, however I’m wondering if you ever heard that anger is often actually seen as a secondary emotion. There is usually a primary emotion or emotions behind the anger, and which often manifests as anger. Sometimes it can be that we feel hurt, frustrated, stressed, bored, misunderstood, not heard for example… and the way we often express this is with anger. What do you think the primary emotion may be for them? Besides anger, what do you think your granddaughter might have also been feeling when arguing with the teacher and making that threat to the teacher? Sometimes it can be helpful to identify the primary emotions to help figure out what is causing the anger in the first place. There is a great article on dealing with others who are frequently anger here that may be worth checking out: https://au.reachout.com/articles/when-someone-is-always-angry All the best ... View more