[Celyn]

Hey Lexie,

It’s good that you want to be honest with your parents. I’d suggest finding a time when your parents are calm and approach them then. You could say that you were talking online, and became close, and so he is your boyfriend. They might ask you where you met online, and I know it might be difficult to say here, but remember that TeenHelp is a positive place to get help and support. Also, if you do admit that you are depressed, your parents might be able to find ways of helping you. Try thinking about what you would say and how you would say it, and perhaps practice it.

That said, it might also be a good idea to think of how your parents might react, particularly if you think they might give a negative reaction. They might worry that talking online is dangerous because you don’t actually know the person behind the screen, and they might worry about ‘sexting’. If you do tell your parents how you met your boyfriend, you could show them the site and in particular this. Since it’s a long distance relationship, and your parents can’t meet your boyfriend, do you think you could skype chat/FaceTime with him and let your parents get to know him more? Also, they might be concerned that you are young, and they want to protect you and not let you get into any trouble, so it might be worth thinking about how to respond if your parents disagree with you dating.

Best of luck!