Staff Writer - Latoya Wakefield
Bruno Mar’s words of his popular hit Grenade resounds in my head as I read a very sad story. In the Star, one of our local Jamaican papers, it was reported on the third of January of this New Year that an 18 year old student used her school tie to hang herself. The reason for her taking her own life is a break – up. This is known as the first reported suicide for the 2012. How sad is that? While many of us were celebrating, one child was thinking about a heart break. It’s just too sad and depressing.
It’s hard not to worry about our future. If our children are not being killed, they’re being raped or missing. Suicide just overloads the burden. It’s a harsh world and our children are seriously suffering. When the cause of taking your own life is a break – up, you have to wonder why. Why did she kill herself after a break-up? It is said children live what they learn. Where, who and how did she learn that lost love is worth dying for? This raises a critical issue for us all. Are our children taking love more seriously than they should at this age? If so, how can we help them? [COMMENT AT THE BOTTOM]
On the deceased’s side, there are too many questions and hardly any answers. In the article, it’s stated that the family members recognized a change in her behaivour after she received a call from her boy-friend. The article didn’t state what changes. They’ll never be able to ask her her side of the story. The article indicated no signs of her telling her family members what was wrong. Which raises the question how close are parents with their children? If you have a child, how would you rate your communication with them? Bad, moderate, good or great? ….As parents, we should all try to have great communication with our children so that if something goes wrong we can notice and do something about it without pushing them away.
Now, I am not blaming the family members at all. I’m just saying that a lot of today’s parents do not know what’s going on in their children’s lives. How can we really help them if we don’t know? We have to try to be there for our children in every way possible and grow them as best as we can. My mom always told me that no one is worth dying for. She always gave me advice about different aspects of my life. I just wasn’t afraid to talk to her about anything.
Could this be your heart?
For the children who are reading this article, do not be afraid to go to an adult you can trust about your problems. Whether or not you want to believe it, they do know better and can assist us with any situation. Talk to someone if you have a problem you can’t handle and listen to their advice. Do remember that if you love yourself then no heart break should make you feel like you want to take your own life. After life, there’s no coming back.
Let’s work together in making this world a more suicide free world. I welcome all your comments. Condolences to this 18 year old’s family.
Photo courtesy lifehack.org
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