Pat's Answer

Hi there, welcome to Ask Pat. 

You are asking what to so if someone is hurting you multiple times when they don’t know they are hurting you. 

We are sorry that you are being hurt. No one has the right to hurt you. You are very brave to reach out to Ask Pat, well done! You don’t mention how this person is hurting you? You say that the person is unaware that they are hurting you. How do you think they would feel, if they knew they were causing you hurt? How would you feel about having that conversation with them? Maybe you would prefer to talk to a trusted adult. This adult could be a parent, an aunt, uncle, or grandparent. We know that it can be hard to open up to someone who is close to us, so maybe talking to somebody outside of your family who you are comfortable talking to might work better for you at first.  You have the right to be safe and happy. 

On the Childline website www.childline.ie  there are a number of useful articles where you might find help, get more information and supports that are relevant to you. Two that may be of help to you today are www.childline.ie/what-is-abuse/ and www.childline.ie/your-rights/.  

You do not have to go through this alone. If you feel you cannot talk to somebody that you know just yet, then Childline is here for you and we really would love to listen to you. At Childline we are focused on you and what is important to you. The services are free and available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The team do not judge anything you say but will listen to everything you wish to share. You can contact us through our telephone service 1800 66 66 66, through our text service on 50101, or by web chat that you access through the website www.childline.ie.  

We hope that you find some of the above helpful. Remember you have already made a great attempt in reaching out and describing what is going on for you.    

We hope to hear from you soon. Take care of yourself,   

Pat