A friend got some disturbing news today. The couple got a call from another parent about their 10 year old kid. She told them that her daughter broke down and told her that their kid was talking to friends about suicide and had attempted it before. This post isn't so much about them as it is about my shock of learning about it.
Having a teenager in my home has brought up all kinds of fears that I'm sure most parents experience with that age group. I remember my teen years as being hyper-emotional. Things were either super great or super awful. I don't recall things ever being in-between. Kids in this age group often get to the point of feeling life is hopeless. I'm assuming it's being hormonal and being on the cusp of having actual responsibilities in their lives. So I worry about the teenager's happiness and well-being now that I'm the one who has to keep her safe and sound more often than anyone else.
However as hyper-emotional as things were for me in my teen years, I don't recall anything like that before I hit that age. When I was 10, I only recall happily playing with the neighborhood kids, riding my bike, climbing trees and generally just having fun. I don't ever recall having so much stress on my life that I would feel like it's not worth living. And I was a very awkward and shy child too... I don't think I really started having any real self confidence until I got closer to college graduation.
Another friend told me that suicide is becoming more common amongst that age group of kids before their teen years. Are things that much more difficult on kids? Is it because I now live in Houston and kids here have a rougher time than it was for me in my small town?
All I can say is that I'm shocked and saddened that kids that young feel that there is nothing here for them. What kind of a world is this when a young kid is thinking about ending it all rather than playing and having fun? Have we as a society put too much pressure on these kids to grow up too fast?
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