my dad.

Hey there @orla ,

First off, I wanna give you a warm welcome to our ReachOut community, happy to have you onboard! 
Secondly, I am so sorry to hear that you found out about your Dad's affair, I can only imagine how distressing this news must be and your feelings are incredibly valid in this matter.

However, I want to applaud you for coming on here and reaching out for support on this platform. It can be hard asking for help and expressing your emotions so I want to say you are doing amazing. I highly recommend talking about your feelings irl to someone you trust.This can be a friend, teacher, family member etc. Having someone listen to your troubles and support you through this time can help makes things a bit easier.

In times like these, I find it is vital to practice in acts of self care to help you not only get your mind off of what's going on, but even to process what is going on. Self care is different for everyone but personally my acts of self care include doing some skin care, painting and buying myself a sweet little treat. Of course self care won't be able to make the problem go away but it can help a little bit in regards to your emotions. 

I'm sorry that I cannot be of more help, but I do really wish you all the best and if you ever want to vent, ask for advice or even start a cute lil thread in our corner of the internet, we are all here to listen.

Take care! < 3

Hey @orla ,

Welcome to the ReachOut community!

I am very sorry to hear that you found out your dad has been cheating on your mum. That must have been really heartbreaking to find out and it is very understandable that you are terrified of what might happen. I am really glad that you have found us and have been able to reach out for some support as you certainly don’t need to be dealing with this on your own.

How are you feeling today? 

I was wondering if you were able to talk to your dad about it or if he knows that you have found out?

This must be a lot to be dealing with, have you been able to speak to anyone else in your life about this such as a friend or another family member?

I was also wondering if you have any coping strategies or things you can do to take care of yourself? It must be really hard to know this and to be worried about what might happen but it’s important that you are taking care of yourself. We have some resources here around self-care which you may find helpful to have a look through.

I also wanted to share another article we have. It is an article on dealing with your parents fighting and although it may not be super relevant, there are some helpful tips about taking care of yourself and how to cope when there are things that you can’t control.

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to deal with this alone and that we are all here for you. I know it has already been suggested, but I wanted to reiterate that Kids Helpline is a really great service where you speak with a counsellor 1 on 1. It is a free and confidential service and you can speak to someone over the phone or via webchat.

Is there anything you can do to take care of yourself today?

Take care and I hope to hear back from you soon💛

Hey @orla

I am proud of you for coming on here to seek support. I am so terribly sorry that you had to find out that your Dad is cheating on your Mum; this would be really distressing for you. 

My heart really hurts for you as my Dad cheated on my Mum when I was about 10 years old, they ended up separating and getting a divorce. I cannot stress enough that during times of uncertainty and distress like this, reaching out and using supports will help you get through it. Do you see a counsellor by any chance? If not, would you consider seeing one? 

This does sound like a really difficult and delicate situation. I do suggest getting in contact with Kids Helpline or Headspace; they could provide you with further support and guidance through this really difficult period of time.

I am so sorry that I can't provide more help, but I want you to know that you're not alone, and I know myself and everyone else here will try to support you the best we can.

Take care.

- Matcha_ Toad 🐸🍵💚

Hi @orla 🩶

I am so sorry that you had to find this out. I imagine it would come at a complete shock finding this out about your dad and must be very difficult to hear. It is completely understandable to be worried. Thankyou for coming to ReachOut to seek support. 

You shouldn’t have to deal with this alone. Services such as Kids Helpline are available if you need to talk to someone now. Additionally, is there anyone that you would feel comfortable talking to about this in person? Maybe another family member, school counsellor, or other trusted professional? It could be helpful to get some support during this stressful situation. 

While it may be hard, please also try to take care of yourself during this time. Give yourself time to process it, and be gentle with yourself. It is unfair, and you don’t deserve to go through this. 

sending love, hope to speak soon 🫶🏻