Dear Dish-It,
I hate myself and I feel like I want to kill myself! I’m fat and ugly! And to make matters worse my mom calls me fat and other names, too. She acts like she and her BF are perfect. She treats me like I’m not worth anything. And if I tell her something she gets all ghetto to impress her BF. Her BF just sits and sleeps in her bed all day. It’s summer and it’s not gonna last very long. We never ever go anywhere anymore. I know he makes her "happy" but still – go outside! Ever since school has finished we stay in our house all the time. I’m sick of it. Please help me!
Sick of my mom
Dear SOMM,
I truly hope you don’t mean the part about wanting to kill yourself. If you do feel really down and thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide have crossed your mind, you need to get help immediately. It’s not a joke.
In terms of your relationship with your mom, I’m sorry things are so tense at your house. It seems like there has been a breakdown in communication between the two of you. I sense that you still love her and want her to be a mom to you again.
The truth is, your teen years can be really hard on both you and your parents. As you were describing, your body is going through a lot of changes at this time – inside and out. Your mom may also be feeling some of the stress of your going through puberty. I’m not saying it’s your fault, but since I don’t know your mom and I’ve only heard your side of the story, I’m going to give you some tips on the things you can do to make your relationship with your mom a little easier and, perhaps, better.
In order to communicate better with your mom, whether it’s about your feelings about yourself, your weight, her boyfriend or the fact that you’d like to spend more time doing things outside the home with her this summer, try the following tips:
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