Lucy(Q) I think I might be gay, should I worry about it, how will i know if it's just a phase?
Hi my name is Connie, I'm from Childline, thanks for coming on today Hi Lucy, thanks for your question, sometimes as we are grow ing up we can have different feelings about our sexuality, sometimes this may be a phase when you are getting to know how you feel about either boys or girls and sometimes it may mean that you are gay. Either way there is nothing wrong with being gay and it does not have to be something to worry about. Give yourself time to think through your feelings and if you can talk it over with someone you feel you could trust like a friend or a family member. Hope this is of some help, take care
madalinemmmbop(Q) Hello! Can I JUST ASK, DO YOU KEEP THINGS 100% CONFIDENTIAL? HOW DO I KNOW YOU WON'T TELL ANYONE?
Hi thanks for your question. Chidline feels confidentiality is very important and for most calls things are kept completely confidential, the only time we would ever break that confidentiality would be if we felt your life was at risk. Apart from that we would always work with you to decide what YOU want to do and would not push you into anything you were not ready for. You are welcome to take your time in a call and decide if and when you want to say something, you are also welcome to ask any of our counsellors more about the confidentiality policy- hope this is of some help :-)
Hannah(Q) I think my mates boyfriend is bullying her - what shuld i do?
Hi there, it sounds like you care for your friend and it's natural you might worry about someone bullying her. An idea may be to try and talk to your friend when she is on her own and explain about your worries, she may appreciate having someone to talk to. If you do not feel ready to talk to your friend you could think about someone you may be able to talk it over with, like another friend or a family member, take care.
Claire(Q) My friends have all started having sex with their boyfriends, i don't think i'm ready but i'm scared they'll bully me about it. What shall i do?
Hi there, thanks for your question. You are not alone having worries like this, this is something that many girls ( and boys!) go through when your growing up. Different people decide to have sex at different times, the legal age of consent to have sex is 16. Having sex is a huge decision and not something you can take back once you have done it. If you do decide to have sex it is important that you give yourself time to make sure you feel ready, it doesn't have to be something to rush into because your friends have done it. If you do decide to have sex at some point it is important to use contraception which can help protect you from STIs and unwanted pregnancy, you can talk about this more with a Gp. Hope this has been of some help
zacefronlovesme(Q) My friend and I use to be really good friends till she got in with the wrong crowd and now she bullies me for fun and i dont know what to do?
Thanks for you question, it sounds like things have been a bit tough since your friend has fallen out with you. It can be natural for friendships to change however no one deserves to be bullied and it sounds like this girl is being really unfair to you. Most schools have an anti bullying policy which means they should take action against any bullying in school, you could have a think about talking to a teacher about what is happening or a parent/carer. You are also welcome to ring Childline to talk further or check out the Childine website, take care :-)
Anais(Q) Who do i go to so i can chat about sex things?
Hi there, thanks for your question, you are welcome to ring Childline to talk about facts of life and questions you may have about sex and relationships. Another good website is www.likeitis.org.uk which has loads of info. Another idea could be to talk it over with your Gp or local Brook Clinic, you could also talk about it with someone you feel you trust, take care
Special(Q) How do you stop getting someone bullied without getting bullied yourself
Hi there, it sounds like you want to help someone else but that you are understandably worried about what might happen to you. It is kind thing to want to stick up for a friend but it is also important to try protect yourself. No one should have to deal with bullying alone, if it is happening in school a teacher should be able to help, other people to think about talking to are family members or carers. If the bullying is serious or violent there is also the choice of talking to the police. You are welcome to talk further with Childline by ring 0800 1111 open 24/7 and check out the website www.childline.org.uk- take care
kate(Q) What's the best thing about working for Childline
Hi, the best thing about working for Childline is being there for someone when they are going through a hard time and knowing that you are making a small or big difference in their life by listening to them, not judging them and helping them to think through some options. Take care :-)
XbeckyX(Q) i am getting bullied from a gril at college should i still go in
Hi there, sorry to hear you are being bullied, that's not something you should have to go through!! It's natural that you might wonder about staying at college while this girl is there but she shouldn't be able to ruin college for you, you have the right to be there. An idea might be to think about talking to the college tutor or lecturer, they may be able to talk to this girl for you or talk to you about options e.g moving class. You are welcome to check out the message boards on the Childline website, many young people on there have gone through similar things- Hope this help
lady96(Q) there is a group of girls that stand waiting for me after school who shout at me and walk after me - they threaten me but they never do anything in school. only after. who do i tell?
Hi there :-) thanks for your post. Sorry to hear that these girls have been threatening you, sounds like it could be quite scary for you. No one deserves to be threatened and there are people you could tell- if they are threatening to hurt you you have the right to tell the police, it might be an idea to keep a diary of all the things they have been saying so you can show it to someone. Even though it is happening outside school the teachers may be able to take some action to try and help you- you could also think about talking to parents/carers. A website which can give some good advice on how to deal with bullying is www.bullying.co.uk. and you can also look at the bullying section on www.childline.org.uk Take care, Connie
strictlyxfactor(Q) i had sex with my bf and now he wont spk to me and i feel rubbish and we didnt use a condfom and im scared
Hi there, sounds like this is quite a worrying situation for you, well done for writing in about it. Having sex is a big step and it's not nice that your boyfriend is ignoring you after it, perhaps you could try and speak to him about how you are feeling, if he still ignores you it really doesn't sound like he is worth it and it may be time to think about moving on. It is understable you would be scared about not using condom and it would be really important for you to go to your doctor to talk about this, they would be able to offer you a pregnancy test and also talk to you about possible tests for STIs- this may sound a bit scary but most GP's should be nice to talk and help you think about the different options. You are welcome to ring Childline 0800 1111 to talk further about this- Hope this helps
XbeckyX(Q) I am a christian and They are all like why are you a christian and like why do you belive in not having sex before marriage it my life if i don't have to have it till i get married i dnt have to rigtht and i told this girl about it during the cancer jab i was like well i proble won't get it because i ant having sex till i get married they can't make me can they?
Hi there, you are entitled to have any beliefs you want and there is no right or wrong in what you believe in. It's natural for people with different beliefs to question other peoples, this can just be part of understanding other people's worlds. Having said that no one should pressure you in changing your beliefs or judge you because of them. I'm not exactly sure what you meant by 'they can't make me can they?' if you mean make you have the cancer jab as far as I know it is a choice but I can't be sure, this is certainly something you could talk to your doctor or school nurse about . Take care
sj(Q) Who will i be talking to a man or a woman can I ask to speak to a woman if i wanted to?
Hi there, Childline has male and female counsellors and any Childline counsellor will want to talk to you and help you in anyway they can. If you really don't feel comfortable talking to a male/female you could ask to be transferred, sometimes this is possible and sometimes they may ask you to ring back so you can get through to a male/female. Hope this helps
daisy(Q) I have spent so much time wiv my boyfriend that i dont have any mates left. i dont know what to do - i think he might split with me too. help
Hi there. It is very common that when someone starts a new relationship they can spend alot time with their boyfriend/girlfriend this can be because it's exciting and you want to get to know each other. Sometimes this can mean that friends may get a bit left out, it sounds like this is something you feel has happened- the good thing about friends is that they can be forgiving, how about taking some time out for them and arranging some fun plans? You could even tell them about how you are feeling about your boyfriend? Hope this helps :-)
LaraGrace(Q) I've just found out my nephew is autistic and it's upsetting me 'cause my brother has it too and I know how hard his life is and I'm worried for my nephew too. I'm worried how my family will cope, my sister (his mum) and even my mum has broke down over it. I know it won't ever go away but I'm scared about how my family will cope
Hi, thanks for your post. It sounds like you really care about your family and want whats best for them. You are right that the autism may not go away but there is support out there for both your brother, nephew and your family- this may be something you could talk over with your mum and sister, perhaps you could all ask your Gp or local health board what Services and support are available in your area. Even though you are worried about how your family might feel this is also something you deserve to talk through yourself, you are welcome to ring Childline and also log on to the website. Take care!!
Louise(Q) My friends boyfriend tried to kiss me, shud i tell her about it? I don't want to ruin our friendhsip but guess she should know
Hi, sounds like this is quite an ackward situation for you. It would really be your choice if you wanted to tell your friend, it may help her to know what her boyfriend has done. Although she may be annoyed at what happened it doesn't have to mean it would ruin the friendship, it may take her a while to think things through and calm down but it does not sound like you have done anything wrong. Perhaps you could try out the Childline message board to ask other young people for some advice, you can find it on www.chidline.org.uk, take care
pippalovesyou(Q) i self harm...i know i do it for attention because i dont really fit at school or at home..but now i cant stop...i wish i ddint have scars on my wrist but i dont know how to get rid of them...please help
Hi, well done for writing about this. You are not alone in what you are going through, many people who contact Childine are going through similar things. Sometimes self harm can start from something upsetting happening in life, it can then sometimes be hard to stop BUT many people are able to stop and there is help and support out there. Think about talking to someone you feel you can trust or even talking to your Gp. If you do self harm it is really important to make sure you keep any wounds clean and get medical attention if you are bleeding, feel sick or anything seem infected. If you are trying to stop you could try some different distraction techniques like listening to music, drawing, running or even shouting and time you feel the urge to self harm- some people find this helpful. As for the scars, there are some products that can help scars fade a bit , you could check out your local pharmacy about this You are welcome to talk further about this with Childline for confidential advice and support- Take care :-)
Loupops(Q) i am doing my GCSE's next summer but at home i cant concentrate, my parents row all the time + its so hard to get any work done. i wanna do well but everytime i try+tell them to shut up we all get into a bigger row
Hi there, preparing for exams can be stressful at anytime, let alone when you have to listen to arguments!! It sounds like you have tried to talk them when they are rowing and it hasn't really worked- it may be an idea to try and talk to them when they aren't rowing, they may be a bit more calm and ready to listen. Another idea may be to write them a letter explaining how you feel. If you don't feel like talking to them again perhaps you could think about talking to a teacher and talk to them about options like studying in the library or at a friends? There is a good section about exams on the www.Childline.org.uk. Hope this helps, Connie
Carrie(Q) Whenever i look in the mirror all i see is someone ugly, all my friends tell me that i am wrong but i just can't help seeing what i see, i know this isn't true but i can't help feeling this way!!
Hi, thanks for your post. At times we can all feel down about the way we look but it sounds like this may be getting to the stage where it's getting you really down. It sounds like your friends see a different you than you do, maybe you could think about writing down some of their compliments and reading through them when you feel down. If this continues to may be an to talk to someone like a Gp or school counsellor, they could talk to you about what is making you feel this way and what support there might be. Childline will always be here to listen and remember we are open 24/7 you can ring on 0800 1111 or check out the website. Take care
PushtheFrog(Q) What should i do if a friend is not eating?
Hi there, thanks for your post. If you are worried about your friend an idea may be to talk to her about your concerns, she may appreciate having a friend that cares. On the other hand sometimes when people are not eating they can be quite defensive and might deny anything is wrong. If this is the case you would need to think about what you wanted to do next you- you could think about talking to a trusted adult who could then talk to your friend or you could suggest she could ring Childline or log on to the website- Take care :-)
lucy(Q) i have very low self confidence and am shy, im always feeling anxious do you have any tips on helping to improve this, i dont want to be known as the shy girl forever
Hi there, well done for writing in. People have different personalities, some people are loud and others are shy- sometimes this can change, for example you can start off shy but then become more confident once you get to know yourself more and know the group you are with. Have a think about what kind of thing might make you feel more confident, for example start off by making a close friend and become comfortable talking to them, you can build on things from there like going to parties together, or approaching new friends together. Another idea is to take out something you are good at like music or sport, this could give you more confidence and make you more comfortable talking to others. Hope this helps :)
Caz1(Q) Will this show up on my phone bill when I call?
Hi there, the Childline phone bill does not show up the phone bill if you ring from a house phone, it is also does not show up on most mobile networks but you can check with your network provider first. Remember if you do feel uncomfortable using the house phone the Childline number is free so you can ring from pay phones and talk as long as you want!!! Take care!!
That's all the questions for now, thanks very much for taking the time to post your questions today and we hope it was helpful. Remember Childline is open 24/7 and we're confideniral, we will not tell anyone what you tell us unless we think you are life is at risk, so you are welcome to talk to us anytime about anything. We are here to talk about whatever is on your mind or going on for you however big or small we are here to talk about whatever is important to you. Somethings people talk to us about are; bullying, self harm, relationships, school, sexual abuse, physical abuse, suicidal feelings, depression, eating issues- but you can talk to us about anything on your mind. You can also check out our website www.childline.org.uk. Keep an eye out for the next webchat. Remember whatever your worry it's better out than in!
