Hesperian Health Guides
Getting help from adults
HealthWiki > Where Women Have No Doctor > Chapter 5: Health Concerns of Girls > Getting Help From Adults
Your family can love you without agreeing with everything you say. They may get angry because they care —not because they do not like you. Try to talk with them respectfully and help them to understand you better.
Ideas for better communication
Is this a good time for us to talk?
- Choose a good time to talk, when your parents are not busy, tired, or worried about something else.
- Share your concerns, worries, and goals with them. Ask what they would do in your situation.
- Give them something to read or show them a picture to get them started talking. You can read a part of this book together if it is related to your problem.
- If you get angry, try not to shout. You can make your parents angry and they may think you do not respect them.
- If you have tried these things and you still cannot talk to your parents, find another older person you can talk to. It could be a teacher, the mother of a friend, an aunt, an older sister, grandmother, someone in your place of worship, or a health worker.
How mothers can help their daughters
You may have grown up in a time when girls were not allowed to have an education, plan their families, or make decisions about their lives. Life can be different for your daughter. If you listen to her, share your own experiences, and give her useful information, you can help her make her own good decisions, and be true to herself as she grows from a girl into an adult.
This page was updated:13 Nov 2023