my friend is going through a tough time and her mum neglects her and treats her unfairly her mum always bullys her, her mum invades her privacy by takeing away her laptop and going through her phone the other day her mum hit her. her mum always gets angry at her she is considering putting herself in care but is worried about what her mum will do help! i hate seing her upset and i want to do all i can too help
Sam
Hi there,
Thanks for your letter.
From what you have told me, it sounds like your friend is having a really difficult time at home with her mum. You have said that she is bullied by her, neglected and physically abused. I want you to know that it is not okay for anyone to be treated this way. Nobody has to cope alone with living like this and its important to know that there are people who can help to make things change.
It seems like your friend has started to find living with her mum so difficult that she wants to find out about moving away from home but she is worried about what her mum would do. You mention that your friend is considering putting herself into care, this is not something I can tell you about but it is always a good idea to talk to ChildLine first so that a young person can get a clearer picture of what is going on for them and then begin to look at options to make things change.
You dont tell me who else lives at home with your friend or how long this has been going on but you might like to let your friend know that a good place to start in asking for help would be to talk to an adult she trusts. That could be a family member, teacher, youth worker or a ChildLine counsellor. It is always helpful to let someone you trust know how you are feeling when you are finding things tough.
It can feel really hard trying to support a friend who is having such a difficult time and it is important for you to know that you are being a really good friend. It could be a good idea to think about getting some support for yourself as well as your friend, the ChildLine counsellors are always there to support you. You can talk to them online by email or 1-2-1 chat, you can also phone them free on 0800 1111. You and your friend might also find the ChildLine message boards useful. You can read messages from other young people who may have been in similar situations and find out about what they did to cope.
Take care,
Sam
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