Tweens & teens

Friendships, identity, school, executive-function support.

For Parents
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kavya~

1mo ago

Masking is destroying my teen from the inside

My 13yo acts 'normal' at school (exhaustingly). At home: dysregulation, meltdowns, zero energy. I can see the exhaustion of maintaining a fake self all day. But if they stop masking, school becomes hostile. They're 13…

ParentsCN: Burnout#burnout#emotional-support#identity#masking#masking-burnout-teen
30💬 2New reply 1mo ago
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noor~

1mo ago

My teen just realized they've been masking for years — now what?

My 14yo told me: 'I act normal at school but I'm exhausted.' They didn't use the word masking, but that's exactly it. Years of pretending to focus, sit still, be quiet — and now they're burnt out and don't know who…

ParentsCN: Burnout#burnout#identity#masking
30💬 2New reply 1mo ago
K

kavya~

1mo ago

My teen thinks they're ADHD — everyone else says she's 'fine'

My 16yo daughter is convinced she's ADHD. School says she's fine — good grades, quiet, follows rules. I assumed she was just shy and anxious. Then I read her diary: exhausted, can't start homework, overthinking every…

ParentsCN: AnxietyCN: Diagnosis#diagnosis#gender-bias#masking
19💬 2New reply 1mo ago
K

kavya~

1mo ago

She masks at school but I can see her unraveling

My 7th grade daughter seems fine at school (teachers say she's great). But I see: anxiety about perceived social failures, exhaustion, perfectionism that's crushing, sensory sensitivity escalating. Girls are…

ParentsCN: Diagnosis#daughter-masking-unraveling#emotional-support#girls-underdiagnosis#masking
26💬 2New reply 1mo ago