1-800-273-8255 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

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Signs to watch for in your children to help you try and catch their depression sooner, before it’s too late:

1. Wanting to start missing school for made up reasons, sick, or it’s a teachers day, non true of course.

2. Finding small bruises on their arms, legs or even knots on their heads, and they say they fell. Not true.

3 Wanting to changes classes in the middle of school. They say the dont understand it, but really one of their bullies is in that class and bullies them in it every day.

4. Once was outgoing, but now wanting to avoid school activities all together and stay home.

5. They used to talk to friends on the phone all the time, but now when their call they make up excuses as to why they cant talk right now.

6. They once liked being with groups, but now would rather be alone, maybe write in a journal, hidden, so dont try to find it, we are smarter than that.  If you find one, its fake for your sake.

7. If you ever get a call from the school that they are not in school and have not been in a week or two, then you find them at a friends house drunk, or drinking, is because they would rather deal with your punishment with this, than the beatings or bullying at school.

8. Also, you may actually see your child become a bully, I did. I did as that drunk I because in the 9th grade.

9. Not wanting to go places with the family and stay home alone, FYI there will be a party attended even by the bullies of your child to try one more time to impress them, but it does not work, I’ve done that as well.

10. Most important part, if your child tells you something about being bullied or abused at school or anywhere, stop what you are doing, go to a safe place in the house with them and listen to what they are telling you. Do not interrupt them and DO NOT blame them, regardless of who they tell you is doing the bullying or abuse. You may not like what you here, but they are a child, the person doing anything to your child, regardless of their age, needs to be dealt with in the most painful way. You are the parent and you are to protect them. 

11. We are also very good at living a double life, happy in front of everyone else, and hating ourselves alone. It is so hard for us to say anything because we are afraid of losing our parents, real friends, or just being called an attention getting or a liar. Most adults listen and believe other adults, and not their very own children, even if they taught their children never lie. 

12. If you see these signs, do not go head on with your child, because they will lie to you and say everything is fine, because they are still scared of losing you as parents or how you will look at them from then on or think of them, or even believe them. Start slow with them. Start with smaller questions  then even go to the school, when they don’t know or see you and watch what happens to them one day, because that will be their everyday. Stake a stand against Teen Bullying and help prevent Teen Suicide. This could be your child one day, but you didn’t know because you didn’t know any signs to look for. Now you do.

13. Last but not least, me being a survivor of being bullied, molested, hated by myself and others everyday and scared for my life everyday from 4th grade to 11-12th, I am older now and I learned in 2017 that I have Autism Spectrum Disorder, PTSD (from my glory days at school), depression for the rest of my life, social phobia and anxiety, some agoraphobia, COD, ADHD, and even borderline Bipolar. I have to see a Dr. monthly for some and every three months for some of the other disorders I have. I cant blame all of this on school, except PTSD, but these were things that were always in me, but they had no words for what I had, so I was odd and different and an easy target. There is so much more about me and how I survived being bullied throughout my life, even still today, and also nome information for those who are the bullies to this day that will make your head spin for when you get old. Neither of you will ever get over what you did or you received from someone else, but there is help for both. You are not alone and suicide is never an option. You both are are work much more alive. You will be our leaders one day, but you wont have that chance if you take your life, so please don’t, so call the number above or even just email me if you need to get something off your chest or have any questions to help save the youth, both bullies and bullied.