Alex's Answer

Hi there, 

You are very welcome to the Ask Alex service. Thank you so much for sharing your worries with us. 

It is perfectly normal to wonder how to tell parents things when something has gone wrong for us. Sometimes it can be hard to explain what happened properly, but it’s important that you chat to your parents about it. You mentioned that this has happened to you before, how did your parents respond then? 

When we have something to tell someone else that might cause a strong reaction, it might help to think about when a good time would be to chat about it – if they’re busy or not in the best mood, it probably will influence how the conversation goes. Also, is there one parent you feel more comfortable chatting to than another about this sort of thing? It may be helpful to write down or at least plan out what you want to say so you can feel more prepared for the conversation. 

Is there another trusted person in your life you can talk to about this such as a sibling, grandparent, teacher or sports coach? If you’d prefer to talk to someone you don’t know, you could get hold of us here at Childline. We have a team here ready listen to you, and you can chat to us about whatever is on your mind. It doesn’t have to be a problem, sometimes it can be nice or a relief just to have someone to bounce ideas off. 

We are available 24 hours a day and this is a free service. You have lots of ways of contacting us, our phone lines: 1800 66 66 66, our text service: 50101, or our webchat. 

We truly would love to hear from you, about anything you wish to discuss. 

Looking forward to hearing from you,  

Alex.