Hi there,

Everyone has the right to feel safe, whether they’re at home or anywhere else. Threatening to hit you you and treating you like this is a form of emotional abuse. It’s wrong, and what your mum’s doing isn’t your fault.

Abuse isn’t always easy to recognise, especially when someone can be nice as well. Even when you’re not sure if something is abuse, there are lots of ways to get support. The first step is to tell an adult you trust what’s been happening. This could be a teacher, someone at school, or anyone else you trust.

We’ve got lots of advice to help you speak to someone you trust. You can also talk to organisations like social services to get support. When you speak to professionals about what’s happening at home, their highest priority is making sure that you’re safe. They’ll want to listen to you about what’s happening and then think about the best way to support you.

If you’re at home, it’s important to think about what most helps you to feel safe. Sometimes this might mean avoiding your mum if she's starting to behave this way. Remember, if you’re feeling scared or it’s an emergency, you can always phone 999. We’ve also got advice on ways to make a safety plan for if things go wrong.

Whether you speak to a trusted adult or not, Childline is here for you. You can get support from a counsellor at Childline any time. Lots of young people talk to Childline about things at home, and you can contact us whenever you like.

Take care,

Sam