Alex's Answer

Hello and welcome to Ask Alex, 

Thank you for reaching out and sharing what is going on for you and trusting us with your situation. You have made an important step by speaking out and we would like to praise you for that.  

We are very sorry to hear that you are being hit and shouted at by your father for no reason and that you feel you are getting treated differently to your sisters, this must be very hard for you. You have the right to be treated fairly and with respect like everyone else. It is important that you know that nobody has the right to lay a hand on you and that you should never be treated in this way, it’s not acceptable. 

Sometimes people fall into a pattern and do not realise that they are being unfair or treating one differently to another. It’s like they are on repeat, just automatically saying the same thing to the same person even if that person has done nothing wrong. In order for this behaviour of his to stop, it may need to be brought to his attention. Have you tried speaking to your father about this and letting him know how his treatment of you makes you feel?  

If you feel that you cannot speak to your father, perhaps you have a trusted adult such as your mother, aunt/uncle, grandparent, teacher or sports coach you could turn to. They may be help you and your father resolve the issue, and support a change in your relationship. Having a trusted adult that you can speak to can be very helpful when you are finding things hard. We sometimes find out that they had similar difficulties when they were younger, and they can give helpful tips and advice. 

If you do not feel ready just yet to speak to a trusted adult in your life, please remember that our Childline service is here for you. You can reach out to talk or chat to us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and our services are free and confidential. You can talk to us by phone 1800 66 66 66 or chat to us one-to-one on our webchat on www.childline.ie or by text on 50101. We will not judge anything you say to us or tell you what to do. We will look at what options may be available to you, with you. 

You may want to have a look at the Tusla website which you can find here: www.tusla.ie. It will give you information about what to do should you ever feel in danger. Remember, you have a right to feel safe in your home. 

We hope that you find the information provided above useful and again, we would like to thank you for reaching out to Ask Alex. You have taken the first step by speaking out here, please continue to look for the help and support you deserve.   

Look after yourself.  

Alex.