Difficulty: Explorer (Level 1)
It is not easy to go through what you are experiencing. Your family should treat you with respect and kindness. It is not your responsibility to “stop” them from hurting you or treating you unfairly.
It is great that you want to protect yourself and get fair treatment. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself. Talk to your parents about your feelings. They need to know how their actions make you feel.
If your parents get upset with you even though you have not done anything wrong, you can ask them to explain the problem. Let them know you’d like to talk calmly about it. It is also important to listen carefully and try to see things from their point of view. This way, you can understand each other better.
If things do not get better even though you try, talk to a trusted adult who can help. This could be a teacher or a school counsellor. Let them know if you feel worried or sad. Tell them if it’s making it hard for you to be happy or do your schoolwork.
This question was answered by James Yu, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.
Talk it out
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What does it mean to be treated fairly by your family?
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What advice would you give to someone in this situation?
