Dealing With Divorce, Step-Parents and Step-Siblings / Question
Published: February 25, 2008
Dear TeenHealthFX,
hi my mum is going in to hosptial next month n i will have to stop with my step dad n i dnt like him he said when ur mum gose into hosptial god help you he is soo nasty what can i do i dnt want to stay there plz help
Signed: Staying With Step-Dad While Mom Is In The Hospital
Dear Staying With Step-Dad While Mom Is In The Hospital,
TeenHealthFX is sorry to hear that you have two stressful things on your mind right now – your mother going into the hospital next month and the fear of having to stay with your step-father during that time. FX is concerned with how worried you are about having to stay with him and that he expressed to you that “god help you” during the time you will be with him. To deal with both of these issues in the short and long-term, FX suggests the following:
- Speak with your mother as soon as possible about your worries of staying with your step-father and about what he said to you. Stress to her that you need alternate living arrangements to be put in place for you during the time when she is in the hospital because you are feeling so fearful about staying with your step-father.
- If your mother is not responding to your concerns about your staying with your step-father, speak to another trusted adult as soon as possible about this issue. You can talk to a teacher, school counselor, private therapist, family doctor, extended family member, or anyone else who can intervene on your behalf to ensure your safety and well-being.
- If at any time you are concerned about what your step-father has or might do to you, seek help right away by calling one of the following numbers: 911, 1-800-999-9999 (Suicide and Crisis Hotline), 1-800-448-4663 (Youth Crisis Hotline), 1-800-792-8610 (Child Abuse Hotline for reporting physical or sexual abuse), or 1-800-NJ-ABUSE if you live in NJ and need to contact NJ Child Protective Services. You can also look in your phone book to find the number of your local/state child protective services if you live outside of NJ and need to report child abuse.
- Once the immediate concern of where you are staying while your mother is in the hospital is taken care of, consider meeting with a therapist who can work with you individually and as a family. FX wonders if it would be helpful for you to have someone to speak to in the event that you have any anxieties about whatever the reasons are that your mother is going into the hospital. In addition, it would be helpful for this issue with your step-father to be dealt with for the long-run so that you are not in a place where you constantly feel threatened by him.
If you live in northern
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use, and male high school students are more likely than female students to rarely or never wear seat belts.
