A couple of weeks ago, my kids told me that a grade 8 student jumped off the building in Zobel, a high school inside Ayala Alabang Village. Some say the cause is depression due to bullying. Thank God he didn’t die. Unfortunately though, he is disclosed to be permanently paralyzed due to the fall. Reports are still unconfirmed but God, please no. I pray that this one mistake will not sentence him to life in a wheelchair. I pray that he still has a chance to live out his life & that this will be a wake up call to many, including his parents & his peers that THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY OUT. One that doesn’t include the need to end a life.

https://www.abante.com.ph/grade-8-pupil-ng-la-salle-tumalon-mula-3rd-floor.htm

Then just a few days after, the giblings told me another student from the College of Commerce in UST jumped off the 4th floor. Allegedly, she cheated on her boyfriend -for the 3rd time, who ultimately broke up with her. Seeing her mistake, she decided to take her own life. It is unknown if she is alive or not.  I hope she is. And I hope she gets help, fast. Especially if she really is pregnant which is what is going around the grapevine. TWO LIVES!

http://m.pstarngayon.com/metro/show/0844679f73bb154656839a146b6d7e14?t=eodm1qe62ha74mbok2q02qhfs2

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So many people with diseases & organ failures are struggling to stay alive -doing all that they can just to see another day, and here are these people blatantly taking their own lives. Why? These 2 look like they have a good life, coming from well-to-do families. Whatever possessed them to come to the conclusion that death is better than living? Surely nothing could be that bad that they’d prefer death over life?

True, I am not in their position, and I don’t know what they are going through in life. But seriously, there are options. Life is such a precious gift, why waste it? Bullied? Leave. Transfer school. Talk to your parents or counsellors. Worst case scenario, leave home. Heartbroken? It too shall pass. It may be painful for a while, but time heals all wounds. Eventually. What we think is so hopeless now will seem less significant in a years’ time. Why take your life? And in such a painful & gruesome way too.

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Why do people try to commit suicide?

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I always tell my children that there is nothing in this world that they cannot talk to me about. We will always look for a solution, together. Suicide is NOT the answer. Let’s talk, and more importantly, let’s pray.

We as parents must always be on the lookout for clues & cries for help. We just can’t be too complacent. Our primary duty is to protect our children, they were given to us for a reason. And that is to see to it that they grow up with the fear of the Lord, & become good & productive citizens who will contribute positively for the betterment of the world.

The failure of our children is our own failure. Their downfall is our downfall. Please parents, don’t be too busy that your children can’t come to you for advice. Don’t let their cry for help & attention fall on deaf ears & blind eyes. No matter how busy you may be, make time for them BE THERE FOR THEM.

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Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Only a handful of people know this. My kids actually learned about this just last week when I was feeling extra senti & told them a story that goes.. Once upon a time, there was a young helpless & hopeless girl who took a bunch of pills & swallowed them one after the other as a cry for help & attention. Not that it’s a valid excuse, but she had a very lonely childhood with nobody around to talk to. She & her mom had an almost 40-year age gap, and mother was busy running a tight ship & bustling career as well as being both a mom & dad to her children. So there she was, an angsty teenager with no home, no family, and no one to talk to. One day, she swallowed the pills in front of her tutor who also didn’t give a rat’s ass & just let her go on with her tempra, neozep, diatab, atbp. self-medicating spree. Buti nalang at walang access yung dalagita sa mas lethal na drugs mga besh. Otherwise, malamang tigok na sya nung mga panahong yun.  It was only several years after, at age 16, when a young boy, a hero really, came into her life that she felt she finally had a reason to be happy & whole. God is so good to have held her hand during her darkest hours & made her wait it out for her one true love to come into her life & save her. After 16 lonely years, the knight in shining armor came & the girl finally had that one ray of sunshine. That sunshine has filled her next 35 years (and counting) with so much warmth, love, and kindness. That one ray of sunshine gradually became multiple RAYS of sunshine with the coming of their beautiful & loving children. Her heart became so filled & so loved & so big that now, she doesn’t even remember how loneliness feels. . As you can probably guess, that girl is me. . Today, I just want to share 3 points in hopes that they will make an impact on someone’s life: 1. Parents, your kids’ teenage years are the years they need you the most, trust me. No matter how busy you are, or how emotionally detached, MAKE SURE that you are always there to NOT TALK but LISTEN. Growing up, my mom, being the single parent that she is, groomed me to be strong, brave, and independent.

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Depression is REAL.

If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, these 24/7 hotlines provide mental health crisis intervention:

• National Center for Mental Health
0917-899-8727 (USAP)
7989-8727 (USAP)

• Hopeline
0917-558-4673
0918-873-4673
8804-4673
2919 (toll-free for Globe and TM)