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  1. How We Can Help
  2. I am a young person

I Am Finding Things Really Difficult At The Moment

It is normal for you to be worried or feeling worried. It is important to talk about these feelings with your parents or another trusted adult. It can seem really difficult to talk to your parents about what has happened for a number of reasons. Your parents may seem angry or upset but it is not necessarily with you, but more that someone has harmed you… there is a difference. Your parents will want you to feel happy and supported so try to talk to them. It can make things a lot easier for you.  

If you are worrying about how to discuss it with you parents, here are some tips that may help you: 

Choose your time-

If your parent is really busy then you probably won’t have their full attention. Ask if you can go for a walk with them later or if you can do some cooking together. This will ensure you have their full attention, and you can do something that doesn’t involve eye contact which may feel less embarrassing.

How to tell-

Some find writing down how they are feeling easier than talking about it. If that works for you write it down and either give it to your parents or leave it in a place that they will find. Explain in your letter that you find it difficult to talk about and what you are worried about. If you prefer to talk about it but are still a little anxious you can start by saying you are worried about how they will respond and that you need their support.  

Teenage girl writing on a notepad
Not wanting to make things worse –

Not wanting to make things worse –

You may feel you don’t want to talk to your parents because you think you may upset them and make things worse. It’s normal for parents to feel upset about what has happened to you. They may feel that they should have known or should have protected you. But your parents will want to know how to support you, they may not have all the answers but can help you to find out how to make things better.   

Small steps -

You don’t have to discuss everything at once. You may want to just start off with how you are feeling. It may be that once you start talking to your parent’s things will just flow. 

Parents Understand

Believe it or not your parents were young once and will be able to appreciate some of what you are going through. They have also been given information that may help them understand how you are feeling. If you were a parent and this happened, how would you respond? And would you want your child to talk to you?  

It really does help – trying to pretend everything is okay can be really tiring and make you feel low. We know discussing feelings helps and can mean that you can share if you are not feeling happy that day. Parents may not have all the answers, but they may be able to help you to get additional support. 

If you start feeling overwhelmed by these worries, then speak to your parent, GP, or teacher, as they will be able to find some more support for you. If you are not sure how to tell people how you are feeling you can find links to a range of support organisations at the end of this resource.

Click here to go to the next page: Questions Others have asked
Parents Understand

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