do your parents know

[capricorn]

There was this one time when I was like, eight or something, when I SH-d and my mother saw [and my aunt and my grandma] but they don't know that I used to cut.
Pretty much the whole world knows I have a tendency to beat my head against walls or whatever's handy, but most don't connect it with SH or mental illness or whatever, I think they just see it as me being weird. I used to do it when I was a baby. So yeah.
I Hope they never do, I can't see that they'd have any kind of a sympathetic or helpful reaction. When I was about twelve my mother told me about people who go to hospital after SH-ing, that she thinks they're pathetic and attention-seeking and shouldn't recieve treatment for self-inflicted wounds. So erm, never gonna tell her.

[Stormy Llwellyn]

I only told my dad recently. I have hid my si for a long long time. It wasn't exactly the response I was hoping for but I guess it was a shock, he had never heard of si before.

[Stawberry_Lollipops]

I told my mum, just over a year ago. Though not by will but out of necessity. We never talk about it. Ever. I only told my mother because I cut quite deep and feared I needed medical attention, she freaked out, took care of the injury for me and after about a week, it never got bought up again. I think she only thought it was something I did once or twice and thinks I'm fine now. I have stopped because I promised her I would after that but SI is still a very large part of my life, in the way of fighting urges/thinking about it.

[PokemonGeek]

Not quite accidentally but I didn't tell my guardian or family what I was doing to myself. They found out from professionals when I had a crisis. They were supportive of me afterwards even though they found out about my problem in a way they didn't want to.

[Roxi]

I told my parents willingly when I was 16 . My therapist at the time had suggested it and at first I was horrified at the idea, but then realized that it would be better for them to know since I was trying to stop. It was difficult to tell them , but I don't regret it - I prefer not to have secrets.

[ambivalent red]

it's hard to hide scars and new ones pop up often.
I just went to get a pedicure with my sister and there were big scars on my ankles she saw but did not say anything. it was akward.

[TheRockingHorse]

interestingly enough, i posted on this in 2007.... well, they found out by accident from a teacher a couple months after my post. and despite my indecision then, in the long run i'm glad they found out when they did.

[strider 151]

i chose to tell dad, but not mum because i felt closer to dad and that dad could handle it and wouldnt crumble

well dad could handle it but he took it hard but it was expected. he cares about me so if he didnt take it hard it wouldnt make sense

telling him helped me stop because he made me think about what i was doing, gave me more motivation to stop, i didnt wanna hurt him and that helped take some of the uges off, and idk his support made all the difference

[Elfgirl]

My parents found out by accident, one day when I'd SI'd at school and a teacher had seen the marks and told my father. They were quite angry and called me names over it. They never said I should go to counseling except as a threat - they never wnated me to go to counseling. This was in late 2003 when I was 17.

[flawedinsomniac]

I started to SI when I was 12.5, and they had it figured out by the time I was 13.5 or so. I quit from age 14 to age 16.5, but then I started up again and was a lot more discreet about it. For some reason I felt compelled to tell my mother about it. I guess I was 17.5 or so at that point. I'm 19.5 now.

[becky-marie]

my parents found out accidentally... my mother got mad and my dad just walked away. we talked about (sort of) twice and then pretended it didn't exist. They think i haven't hurt myself in almost two years. They only saw healed scars on my arms, so nowhere near the worst of it.

[a7xcncangel]

Mine found my box of tools and med supplies under my bed in September 2007, flipped a shit, and then sent me right to counseling...

[mande]

My parents found out 2 years into my si addiction. (started at 11 told them at 13) I had some supportive friends who encouraged me to tell them. I finally showed them my arms and legs. My mother took me to the hospital and my father didn't speak to me for weeks.

My father eventually got over it and the hospital helped me get the outpatient care I needed. It was the right decision to tell them I was struggling.