I read this article earlier this year. It's a heart-breaking report about teenage suicide in this region of Australia. We're not talking major metro or regional cities either, just your average rural Australia. So for there to have been three suicides in recent times among teenagers is just tragic. As a parent it is scary. I don't think any of my kids would succumb to such mental problems, but I'm sure no parent does. Am I in-tune enough to see warning signs? Am I engaged enough to be a confidante to my kids? Will I be there when it matters? I don't know the answer, but I am damn sure I am going to make every effort with them. I try now to always follow up arguments or tears or perceived unjust situations with compassionate but frank discussion. I try to enable my kids to see how relationships work, and why it's ok to feel bad sometimes. But also that they are in charge of their feelings and emotions, and how they respond is a choice. Gosh it's not easy, but I must admit I never really felt like the risk of failure involved outcomes such as those portrayed in that news report (link below).
It's not really the sort of thing I want to blog about. And on the one hand, while I feel that modern society makes it all too easy to play the mental health card, take anti-depressants, that kind of thing, one the other hand, the statistics speak for themselves. Kids these days can struggle, and the cost of that struggle can sometimes be catastrophic. This post is a reminder to myself to continually check in with my kids, make sure they're ok, and let them know they always, always have support.
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