Hello there,
Thank you for your letter – I’m really glad you chose to write to me.
You’ve said you met a guy online that wants to meet you and that he is in a different country. I’m not sure if you mean he wants to meet you in the country that he is in or somewhere else. In both cases, I would be very concerned about your safety. There are lots of things to consider for anyone thinking about going to another country and I would be worried that you could be putting yourself in a dangerous situation.
You mentioned you are dating and that you love him but you don’t want to leave your family. It sounds like you are feeling unsure about what to do and I’m wondering if you have talked to anyone else about how you are feeling? It can sometimes be helpful to think of how you would advise a friend in a similar situation.
Although you have seen him on a webcam, it is important to think about the risks involved in meeting with someone that you have never met before. Sometimes talking with someone online can make you feel like you know them more than you do, and it can be easy to forget about the dangers associated with meeting in person, especially without letting someone else know.
I would encourage you to contact one of the ChildLine counsellors either by calling 0800 1111 (this number is free from any phone), or 1-2-1 online chat so that you can talk about this some more and explore ways of keeping you safe. ChildLine have counsellors available 24 hours a day. If you wanted to, you could even send an email to one of the counsellors – there is sometimes a short wait to receive a response.
It might also be useful for you to have a look at the following link for the Think u know website which is part of CEOP (Child exploitation and online protection Centre). This site offers information about staying safe online.
Well done again for writing in.
Take care,
Sam