Hi - I am very concerned about my daughter she has been dating a boy for 1 year and I have noticed her withdrawing from the whole family and her friends. She stays in her room all the time and will not go anywhere with us. She was so happy but now I don't even know her.

She doesn't care what she looks like anymore, and only talks to him. He has friends in school that goes back and tells him who she talks to and everything. We tried to tell her he was destroying her life but it made her hate us and love him more.

Please help us, she is my world.

I'm so sorry to hear about your current situation.

I think that it's important to help your daughter come to her own conclusion. From observing the experiences of others, I know that people can really only be helped when they are ready to help themselves. It sounds cliche, but it's true. I think that she could be so caught up in him, which doesn't mean that it's abusive per se, but it is manipulative and she should things in her life that have value besides her relationship.

I would just make it clear that you are there to listen and also understand what it's like to be in love for the first time. Essentially, it's about respecting her relationship first and hoping from there that she can open up to you. I hope that helps. Good luck

- Amy