Hi @DolphinLover80, Great to hear that your daughter is starting counselling this week    If you ever feel that you need to speak to someone, Parentline are a really good resource. School refusal is a huge and ongoing cause for concern for many parents, and this article is a really good starting point for getting some help, and it includes a link to one-on-one counsellor support for parents as well. ... View more

Hi @Mama_Bear05, and welcome to the Parents Forum. We hope that by connecting with others in our Community, you are able to get the support and resources that you are seeking to help in your situation. We're sorry to hear that you are dealing with all of this on your own, and we understand how frustrated you would be feeling. If you're up for a bit of a read, here is an article about communicating with teens that may be helpful, and here are some suggestions for taming phone/laptop use that may be helpful for your son. There is also the option of either counselling for yourself or as a family, and Relationships Australia are a very good resource, more info can be found here. ReachOut also offer a peer chat support service for 18 - 25yr olds, and if you think your son may be interested, more info can be found here. Also, we needed to make some small edits to your post so that it better aligned with our Community Guidelines. ... View more

Hi @Callebaut32 and welcome to the Parents Forum! We hope that you are able to connect with other parents and find the support and resources that you are looking for  It's nice to hear that you are helping your toddler to understand consent and to respect the boundaries of others. Offering a high-five seems like a good alternative to a hug, and I can see how some kids would feel more comfortable with this. I'm just wondering if some of the other kids don't know what a high-five is as yet, maybe they just haven't learnt it and don't know how to respond. Do you think your toddler would be comfortable offering a toy to another child and inviting them to play together? This may give him the social contact that he is seeking, as well as practicing sharing skills. ... View more

Hi @Nana13, and welcome to the Parents Forum. We hope that by connecting with other parents that you are able to find the support and resources you need. We are so sorry to hear about this incredibly difficult situation that you are in with your daughter, and have sent you an email, so please keep an eye out for that. We'd like to ensure that you are feeling supported given what has happened, and wanted to check if you currently have any close friends or family members that you trust enough to be able to open-up to about what you have been going through? Alternatively, would you feel comfortable speaking with a professional, such as a counsellor? Please take care of yourself, and again, please keep an eye out for our email.  As a side note, we did need to make some small edits to your post so that it better aligns with our Community Guidelines. ... View more

Hi @jayson1, Thank you for being such a supportive part of the Community  We just wanted to let you know that we had to make a small edit to your post to keep it within our Community Guidelines    ... View more

Hi @Lee23, and welcome to the Parents Forum! We hope that you are able to connect with others and receive the support and resources that you need, as we understand that being a parent comes with a lot of challenges. I'm so sorry to hear about the situation that you are in with your daughter, and how you are hitting a lot of brick walls with communication. Thank you for reaching out to others in the community and offering your compassion and empathy. Can I please ask how you are taking care of yourself right now? Do you have a close friend or family member you can talk to, or access to counselling? We would like to ensure that you are ok, and if you do need to speak with someone, Parenting Line are a very good place to start, more information can be found here. ... View more

Hi @yames and welcome to the Parents Forum! We hope that you find the support and resources that you are looking for  You have raised an excellent question about an important issue, and one that would be of concern to parents. This article - How to Talk about Drugs with your Teenager - is a really good starting point, with additional info being available here. ... View more

Hi @Adelaide314, Thank you for the update, we understand that it's the child's mum that is the primary person involved in the health care decisions. We have sent you an email, if you could please keep an eye out for that. ... View more

Hi @KR5555 and thanks for the update. Your daughter does sound very committed to maintaining her exercise routine, and I understand your concern for her. Consulting with a GP would be a good starting point to see if accessing a mental health care plan could be a potential option for her. Given that you're out of the city, are you able to access your GP via telehealth? Let us come back to you about possible alternative ways for you to be able to access the one-on-one parent coaching service, in the interim, if you would like to access some free over the phone counselling support, Parentline are a really good resource. ... View more

Hi @SimeSime and welcome to the Community! It sounds like you have a lot on your plate with 3 Teenagers, and we appreciate that you have reached out for some support. As a starting point, here is some information about talking to Teens about sex, as well as ways to develop skills for improving communication with Teens. ReachOut also offer free one-on-one parenting support that may be of interest to you, more info can be found here, and if you feel like you need to talk to someone, Parentline are a really good resource that offer Counselling over the phone.  ... View more

Hi @Mia84, I understand that you are in a very difficult situation that is presenting a lot of challenges for the family. Given that you have mentioned the possibility of your husband potentially benefiting from counselling, is there an option for you to attend individual counselling sessions? Also, does your daughter has some support in place to help with this situation? ... View more

Hi @Mia84, I can understand how this situation would be very stressful and upsetting for you, and that you've tried your best to be accommodating and supportive. As you mentioned that this has been going on for a long time, have you tried engaging with professional support services in the past? Just to remind you that you're not alone and support is available to you, further to the above link, here is another service that may be useful for you. Is there anything nice you can do for yourself as part of some self-care to help with the stress that you've been dealing with? ... View more

Hi @SamsonAdams, Thanks for reaching out and offering support to others in the Community. Just a friendly reminder to please ensure you are following the Community Guidelines as outlined here when doing so, as parts of your post have needed to be removed to better align with the guidelines. ... View more

Hi @SamsonAdams, Thanks for reaching out and offering support to @Mimi80 Just a friendly reminder to please ensure you are following the Community Guidelines as outlined here when offering support to others in the community  ... View more

Hi @proudmommyof2, I can understand how challenging this would be for you, and I'm incredibly sorry that your pursuit of education didn't work out as you had planned. It's wonderful to see your love and dedication to your kids, and hopefully by being part of the forums you'll be able to find some support and connection with other parents. Given that you don't have any family that can be there for you, do you have a friend that you trust enough to confide in about how you are feeling right now? Or are there any options for mothers support groups in your local area? How are you taking care of yourself at moment? Is there something nice you can do for yourself over the weekend? ... View more

Hi @Freddy74 and welcome to the Parents Forum! We hope that you are able to find the support and resources that you need from the community  I'm very sorry that your daughter is feeling so lonely, I can understand how that would cause you to worry, and it's wonderful that you're reaching out to other parents to gather information about potential supports for her. As we are an Australian-based service, I'll pop in some links for you so you can refer to some resources in your local area. You could start here which outlines resources available in the UK, as well as here. If you're up for a bit of a read, here is an article about helping teens to make friends, and helping your teen to feel more confident.  ... View more

Hi @BlondieAlert24 , Welcome to the Parents Forum, we hope that you are able to find the help and support that you are looking for from the community  Thank you for sharing, and I'm incredibly sorry that your daughter's dad has chosen not to participate in a relationship with her. I can understand that this situation would be starting to weigh quite heavily on you as children can be very inquisitive! What sort of supports do you have available at the moment? Would consulting with a child psychologist be a potential option for you? ... View more

Hi @Awhina24, I'm so sorry that these thoughts are overwhelming you, and causing you so much stress. Speaking with your therapist is a really good starting point to help you try to navigate these difficult feelings, and the concerns you are having. I have a lot of faith in the younger generations because they are very much more environmentally aware than previous gens. With the influence of activists like Greta Thunberg, there are actions being taken for environmental improvements and more innovations. It's great that you've started growing your own veggies! I'm wondering if there is a community garden in your local area that may appreciate you volunteering your green thumb  Also, have you checked to see if there is a Facebook group for your suburb/area? As sometimes people like to do swaps or give-aways of fruit and veggies, or household bits and pieces which can help to reduce the amount that ends up in landfill  With your idea about getting solar, have you looked to see if you're eligible for a rebate scheme? ... View more

Hello @Sadmumof3, and welcome to the Parent's Forum. I'm so very sorry that you, and your son, are struggling at the moment. The loss of a relationship can feel very painful and overwhelming, and it isn't easy to process at any age. It's understandable that he would be very upset right now, and that you seeing him this way, would also cause you distress. As a starting point, here are some articles about helping a young person through a break-up, helping them cope with change, and opening up communication. Does your son have any support through his friends, or is there counselling services available through his university that he might be able to take advantage of? During this difficult time, please also remember to take care of yourself. Do you have anyone that you trust enough to be able to open up to? ... View more

Hi @Clara91, Thanks for reaching out to @Milliejosh2 to show some support   The Parents Forum is a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental place for parents to chat, and I wanted to welcome you both to the community!    ... View more

Hi @rockyroad78 and welcome to the Parents Forum, we hope that you are able to find the support you need by connecting with other parents. I'm very sorry that you have been experiencing such stressful events over the past year. You are showing enormous strength given that your son has gone through chemo, that must have been incredibly difficult for you. I can understand that you are dealing with a lot of challenges given that you are in a blended family situation. Do you have any professional supports in place at the moment? Or do you have any family or close friends that you are able to confide in?  I've also sent you an email, so please keep an eye out for that. Please take care of yourself. ... View more

Hi @teacher333 and welcome to the Parents Forum. I can understand that you're wanting to help support your son while he is going through such a difficult time, and also how this must be quite stressful for you as well. This clip: What if my teen doesn't want help with their mental health? and the article: What to do if my teenager refuses help with depression might be good starting points, and although it says "teen" in the title, it is geared towards supporting young people in general. As we are an Australia-based service, I wanted to pass along the contact info for kooth, who are a free and anonymous mental health service based in the US, as well as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) which provides support and resources to individuals and family members.      ... View more

Hi @padgie, I can understand the pressure you may be experiencing in this situation, and I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this, especially since you are pregnant. I hope this isn't causing you too much stress, and want to remind you to take some time to take care of yourself Blended families can be difficult to navigate, and if you'd like to look at counselling and support services, Relationships Australia is a really good resource.  Also, welcome to the Reach Out Parents Forum, we hope that you're able to connect and find support with other parents  ... View more

Hi @Me-me and welcome to the Parents Forum  I'm incredibly sorry that you are going through this situation, it must be very upsetting and very stressful for you. Can I please ask what sort of supports you have in place for yourself right now, such as family, friends, or professional services? If you do need to talk to someone, Parentline is a very good resource, and offer support 24/7.  In case you're not already familiar with them, the Dept for Education, Children, and Young People can also provide advice and referrals to services that may be able to help support you.  As a side note, just letting you know that a part of your posts needed to be edited to better align with our community guidelines.  This is a very difficult situation, so please remember to take care of yourself and reach out if you need some support. ... View more