- Asher Brown
My heart aches for these parents. I imagine they have spent many hours wondering what they could have done differently. Endless tears shed for the boys they will never see again. These victims need to be remembered. Look at their young faces. Remember their names. Think about what you can do to be there for your loved ones, so that they don’t fall prey to the same fate.
As parents, we want the best for our kids, but we don’t always have the answers. What we can do is try our best to create an open and honest relationship with them. Talk to them, support them and most importantly, accept them. Accept them for who they are and what they want to be. Support their decisions and provide guidance when they need it. These children are ending their lives over what other people think about them. They are dying because they had been pushed so far down by others that they couldn’t bear to live another day and put up with it. How does this happen?!
I don’t know what happened to these kids. I don’t know if they told their friends, parents, or any adult that may have been able to help; I don’t even know if they received any help at all; What I do know is, whatever happened, it wasn’t enough to keep them on this earth.
Please, get involved. Remember these faces and use them as an example that we have to listen AND act to help our kids and our friends and our students. Make our kids aware that they have a support system. Let them know that they have a voice. Most importantly, help them understand that they are wonderful no matter who they are. If we cannot get rid of the bullies in this world, than we can arm our children with the confidence to be proud of who they are and the ability to stay strong.
My Life Write 
Nice to meet you today a #writechat. Our community has been struggling with this a lot lately. Last year, a fifth grader hung himself in the school bathroom. Two weeks ago, a 21-year-old blew himself up on the grounds of our middle school. While he had no relation to the middle school and it wasn’t school-related violence, it still hit our school community very hard. The very young age of these boys is heartbreakingly sad. Thanks for your voice.
It’s so scary when it’s happening in your own neighborhood, isn’t it? It’s an issue that makes you feel completely helpless. Not like a local kid with an illness that you can donate money to help pay the bills. I’ve been reading your blog, and love the 2 kinds of people theme!
Yep it is very depressing to hear such news . Children are going missing day after day and I wonder how their parents might be feeling ? It’s really sad and something needs to be done . Suicides and other things are happening randomly .
Nice tribute and sentiments expressed. Not only do we have to stop the bullies–and that means parents stop saying “Not my son” or “Kids will be kids”–but it also means we have to talk about depression and suicide more. This way when kids feel like killing themselves, they’ll know they have support rather than fearing they’ll be further shunned.