THIS is a tatoo I approve of!
My middle daughter came home the other day with this drawn on her arm. All my girls know how I feel about writing on themselves. They write phone numbers, names, dates…anything they need to remember and can’t find any paper. Of course, I reminded her of my feelings on this. Her response was not what I had expected.
She told me all the kids “tatooed” this on their wrists to help promote suicide prevention week. This is something that she has been struggling with. Not HER personally, but the fact that people, especially teenagers, feel this is the best solution to their problems. She doesn’t understand why someone would think death is better then dealing with or getting help for their problems. Now…please understand that she lives a VERY idealic life. She wants for NOTHING. However, as a teenage girl, she does have to deal with teenage stuff; ie, mean girls, boy problems, grades and all of the expectations that we, her parents, put on her. We DO expect all of our girls to do the VERY best they can at everything they do. They all also know that they can come to us and talk to us about ANYTHING that is bothering them. We pride ourselves in the fact that we have an open door policy with our girls. We talk about everything from dating and grades to underage drinking and what they want to be when they grow up. Now, don’t get me wrong. We are not so naive that we think our children are perfect…but they know we are there for them, even when they have gotten themselves into a little jam.
This is where the struggle comes in. My daughter doesn’t understand why everyone does not have this relationship with their family, friends or loved ones. I can’t answer that question for her. All I can tell her is not to judge other people and their situations until you have been in their shoes. I also remind her that depression has no socio-economic boundaries. She is a very compassionate girl (as are all of our girls), and wants to help anyone she can. Just listen…I tell her. The most successful people in life listen and don’t just hear.
So this week, the ink can stay. Be sure to tell those you love and care for how you feel and that you are there for them. It will make a HUGE difference in their lives.
