Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Thank you for your letter. You’ve done a good job telling me about the big things that are worrying you right now. 

You’re very worried about your mum. She cries most days and you can see how low she feels. Your mum provides the only income for the house, but she’s struggling to pay the bills. You’ve said it’s devastating and depressing to see your mum cry and so you’d like to know what you can do to help her.

You also think you’re getting bullied at school and that concerns me too. I know how hard it can be to wake up knowing you might be bullied during the school day. You didn’t tell me anything about what sort of bullying you are experiencing but I want to tell you that all bullying is wrong and no one has the right to pick on another person for any reason.

It’s hard for a child to help an adult with money problems and that can make you feel powerless and upset when you see your mum crying. One thing you can do is gently remind your mum that if she’s feeling very low, she might want to talk to her doctor.

A doctor can check on her physical and mental health. A doctor also may have some practical suggestions that can help your mum. Doctor’s surgeries usually have a good idea of what kind of support is available in the local community for lots of different problems.

We have a section called money worries because we know how hard it can be on all members of a family when it’s a struggle to pay the bills. You might find some information and ideas that are helpful. You could also let your mum know about the Money Advice Service which is an independent service set up by the government for people in the UK. They have loads of online advice to help people sort out financial problems. They also have an online 1-2-1 chat service that your mum could use to get some help.

If you haven’t already seen it, we also have information and advice about bullying in our Explore section. You could also take a look at the bullying message board where young people post messages to talk about the bullying they’ve experienced and what they’ve done to deal with it. Getting support from other young people can be really useful.

I hope you’ll think of talking to one of our counsellors. You can do this by calling for free on 0800 1111, by sending an email or having an online 1-2-1 chat. There’s so much more we’d like to know about your life at home and at school. You have a lot on your mind and we’re here at any time to listen and do our best to support you.

Take care,

Sam