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Your Parents and TheSite Boards/Chat - Do They Know?
independent_
Community Champion Posts: 8,933 Legendary Poster
in General Chat
Hello everyone.
In chat, I was suddenly interupted by my dad tonight. I frantically typed something along the lines of ahhhhhhh, my dad's coming in... Luckily I was on my phone so was easy to hide. Rosie (who was moderating the General Chat session) asked me if my parents knew I used chats. I said no, they'd freak. She then suggested posting a topic on the boards asking if other people's parents knew about young people using TheSite or other support services, and live TheSite chats. And if they did, how people told them. It would be interesting to know what people think.
Do your parents know you use TheSite? Boards, chats, etc?
Do your friends know?
If they do, then how did you tell them?
If they don't, why? If you think they'd freak or for some other reason?
Just out of curiosity.
Thanks in advance.
Elle.
In chat, I was suddenly interupted by my dad tonight. I frantically typed something along the lines of ahhhhhhh, my dad's coming in... Luckily I was on my phone so was easy to hide. Rosie (who was moderating the General Chat session) asked me if my parents knew I used chats. I said no, they'd freak. She then suggested posting a topic on the boards asking if other people's parents knew about young people using TheSite or other support services, and live TheSite chats. And if they did, how people told them. It would be interesting to know what people think.
Do your parents know you use TheSite? Boards, chats, etc?
Do your friends know?
If they do, then how did you tell them?
If they don't, why? If you think they'd freak or for some other reason?
Just out of curiosity.
Thanks in advance.
Elle.
“Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them.”
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Comments
Additionally even if I felt they wouldn't mind me using thesite I wouldn't tell them, as I have posted a lot of things I wouldn't want them to find out about.
As it is mum already asks me all the time when I'm on the computer 'your not on any funny websites are you'.
I kinda told a couple of my friends about thesite and some are a bit like you need to be careful and why would you want to tell people online when you have us and your parents but I just can't confide in them!
My mentor at uni (I have due to my MH struggles) i told her last week and thought she would react badly but she said that's great, and it's good that you can peer support too, she says my parents are probably more old school about it. I was surprised by her reaction to be honest, but she's like late 20s so much younger than my parents (she's a PhD psychology student at my uni).
Back in ye old days when I was a user, only a couple of people knew I used TheSite so it was largely a (for want of a better word) secret. It wasn't because I thought parents or close friends would freak out or anything, I just needed the space to be mine. Wasn't too prepared to answer questions and get my safe space invaded, particularly by people I knew wouldn't understand things like this community does.
Interestingly, even when I got this apprenticeship and took on all the volunteer roles, I kept referring to YouthNet and not TheSite so I still don't know if they know it exists!
I got a similar reaction - funny how a lot of people seem to find the prospect of online support almost a bit intimidating. Maybe high awareness of online safety and security has something to do with it? :chin: