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  1. Worried about your teen being in an abusive relationship?

    Family Lives is supporting the Home Office and its ‘This Is Abuse’ Campaign to empower young people and their parents so that they know that abuse in relationships is not normal or acceptable – if you or your child are in an abusive relationship it’s not your fault and you do not have to stand for it.

    It’s not just physical violence that makes a relationship abusive. If you or your child have been threatened with violence, have no say over what you wear or who you see or speak to, or are constantly criticised, that is still abuse.  Abuse is never OK! Blaming abuse on anger,...

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  2. Keeping your teenager safe: Talking about relationships

    Watching your child grow into a teenager can be a demanding time for any parent.  As they get older they want to take on more responsibility and make more of their own decisions, but as parents we can see the risks and dangers they are opening themselves up to. We want to keep them safe from harm but all we can really do is prepare them for the situations they may face. 

    Yes they probably will say and do things that upset and even scare us.  At times we may even feel that we have failed as a parent – lots of parents do.  The good news is that most teenagers get through this challenging time – and so will you...

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  3. Sex and relationships

    Children and young people are learning about sex and relationships from soaps, magazines, adverts and their friends. The media is full of confusing messages about sex – it can seem like everyone is doing it all the time.

    Talking with their parents helps young people to:

    • Be safer
    • Feel less anxious
    • Make up their own minds.

    It also gives them the confidence to talk to future partners about their relationship, sex and contraception.

    Making time to talk shows you are there to support your children – sons and daughters – as they grow up. It does not mean that you are encouraging your children to have sex.

    All the facts show that if you talk openly about sex, young people delay having sex and are more likely to use...

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  4. When your teen is pregnant…

    Article by Natalie Dye

    It’s certainly a huge shock to find out that your teenage daughter is pregnant, or your son is about to become a dad. You may well feel angry or resentful as your plans for your child’s life have taken a sudden and unexpected turn. 

    But this is a time when your teen needs your support the most. You’ll need the opportunity to adjust too and possibly help to sort out your feelings. What’s most important, though, is to stay calm – and keep talking to your teen. Teenage pregnancy advisor, says on www.parentchannel.tv that if your child has come to you with this news, it’s important to see it as a positive step.

    "It means they...

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  5. Sexting - the rise of explicit text messaging

    Beatbullying, the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity has found that a third of under 18’s have been sent ‘Sexts’ and have raised their concern over this ever increasing trend amongst young people. Beatbullying carried out a survey on over 2,000 11-18 year olds in England to find out how technology influenced the way they communicate and how digital media was being used to bully and pressurise those around them. With mobile and internet technology advancing at a rapid rate, and with most mobiles having in-built bluetooth technology and cameras, sending images to one another is more popular than ever before. 29% of young people being surveyed said they were chatting online when they were introduced to sexual material they...

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  6. Sex and Sexuality...What are your teens learning from you?

    Most parents find it difficult to talk directly to their children about sex. And so children are left to pick up attitudes from the way we behave.

    What are your teens learning from you?

    If there is sex on TV do you:

    Change the channel
    If you change the channel, change the subject or make a joke, every time that the subject of sex comes up, your children are more likely...

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  7. Puberty and disabled teenagers

    Disabled children usually grow up and go through puberty like any other young person. However, puberty may be early for some and delayed for others and there are some very rare medical conditions which mean that medication might be needed to bring on puberty and its associated changes. As much as possible, disabled young people need to be prepared for the changes to their body before they take place.

    Parents often assume that their child’s physical impairment means that they are unable to explore their body or to masturbate. However, quite often they do find a way. Some children and young people masturbate because it helps them to feel warm, relaxed and loved, but young people with learning difficulties sometimes do not understand the difference between private and public. It is...

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  8. Peer Pressure

    Many parents of teenagers worry about the influence their children’s friends can have. In fact we carried out some research which found that most parents felt they were not the biggest influence on their teenagers, believing that their peers held that top slot. Parents worry about what their children learn from their friends and the effects of peer pressure. “Our son’s out of control, he’s been suspended from school twice, and is in a really bad crowd,” one distraught parent told us. Parents are concerned that the teenage years can start long before children actually hit 13 and when children reach ten they can seem to grow up very fast, shutting out their parents and wanting to spend more time with their friends. Then, by the time their children become teenagers, they no longer...

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  9. The Sun's Deidre Sanders Questions and Answers

    The Sun’s Agony Aunt, Deidre Sanders was online on the 2nd June to answer your questions on talking about sex and relationships with your teenager. Below are a list of the questions and answers, Naina - Hi, my name is Naina and I am really unsure on how to deal with a situation with my son. He is 14 years old, soon to be 15 and when i was cleaning his room I found some of my underwear and his sister's tights and stuff. There wasn't just the one item but at least 6 - 7 pieces. What do I do? Should I talk to him directly???? I just feel worried cos I wanna support him but I haven’t got any idea where to start?????? Deidre - Hi Naina, I can understand it's been a bit of shock for you but it's important not to let that sense of shock...

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  10. Supporting Your Gay Child

    If you need advice or support on any parenting or  family issue, call our free helpline on 0808 800 2222

    By a Parent from Families Together London

    Ever since he was three, I knew my son was a little different from a number of boys. His friends were nearly all girls and he always had unusual interests. Of course, I didn’t then just assume he would be gay, but I always kept the possibility in mind.

    Some of what follows represents what I feel I should have done, rather than what I actually did do. I hope this helps other parents who want to support their gay sons or lesbian daughters.

    Your questions answered by agony aunt Suzie Hayman...

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