National Self Harm Network who have a number of distraction ideas that may be useful: How and when do i tell my child?? I Have been self harming for over 30yrs though just a few times in the last 6 yrs after years of therapy. I now have an 18mth old and am just dreading the time when i'll need to explain the state of my arms...... Has anyone else had this dilema? How do i do it? I'm still unwell and under a Psychiatrist etc but now having my child keeps me from doing any more harm to myself or even thinking about suicide. you're not alone hollie. have you recieved any help with it in the past? what kind of things trigger you? have you tried something else when you feel you need to harm? i've been told lots of different things to try but none have ever been as effective for me. i've been using temp tattoos recently and picking at them when i feel the need, i'm desperate to stop because DD has really started to pick up on it and it fills me with dread for her to think this was normal. Joanne, I faced the dilemma of when to tell a child a couple of years ago when DD1 was 11. At the time my DD2 was 5. DD1 was sat in front of car as I was driving back from my parents ( which is stressful in its self seeing them). She looked