When Silence Turns into Fear: A Mother’s Call for Help

When the phone rang, a single mother was on the other end—shaken, overwhelmed, and afraid.

She was deeply distressed because her 16-year-old son had stopped going to school. His days were being spent behind a screen, hours slipping by unnoticed. When she confronted him and tried to take away his laptop the situation escalated quickly. His anger turned physical. She was frightened—not only by what had just happened, but by how suddenly she felt she had lost her son.

She didn’t know where to turn. So, she called us.

Like many parents in crisis, she wasn’t just worried about behaviour. She was worried about what it meant. Was he depressed? Addicted? Hiding something she couldn’t see? As a single mother, she carried the weight alone—working, parenting, and now trying to keep her home safe.

We began by offering her free and immediate parent coaching. 

Her son was connected to one of our counsellors—a space created just for him, where he didn’t have to defend himself or shut down. Slowly, he began to talk. Beneath the school refusal and the screen use was a young person struggling to cope, unsure how to manage emotions that felt bigger than him.

At the same time, our parent coach worked closely with the mother. She needed guidance, reassurance, and practical tools—not judgment. Together, they focused on restoring safety, setting boundaries without escalation, and rebuilding communication that had broken down under stress and fear.

Change didn’t happen overnight. But it did happen.

The violence stopped. The tension in the home eased. The mother began to feel supported instead of isolated. And her son, with consistent care, started re-engaging—with his family, with structure, and with the possibility of returning to school.

This is what happens when families are met at the moment they reach out—before things spiral further. When a parent is given support, and a young person is given space to be heard, healing becomes possible.