My heart is breaking right now. I don't know how to feel, but I wanted to get a message out in case this information can help anyone else. Today, a student who is like one of my own children, decided that life was too tough, and he took his own life. I am not ready to talk about it, but I ask that you please send prayers to his family. I need you all to take this message to heart--don't be ashamed to admit that you need help!
First, you need to realize that in life we all fail--heck, I have had some major epic fails in my life, and I bet I'll have some more in the very near future. I think in our society we spend so much time protecting our kids from failure that we forget to remind them that losing is okay. In sports we spend time protecting our kids from the lessons that can be learned from reflecting on failures and using that knowledge to improve our practice. We need to tell our children that some of the best lessons we learn in life come from times when we fail. There is no shame in failing!
Next, as a society we need to stop making people feel bad for feeling "weak." It's okay to feel sad, and if it that feeling gets overwhelming we need to ask for help. There is NO shame in admitting that we don't have it all together. I wish this incredibly wonderful kid had told us that he was struggling. There were no signs and we are all left to feel horrible that we didn't notice. How could we not see how helpless he must have felt? Please, please let your family and friends know that there is nothing so horrible that they can't share with us. Sadness is not a weakness that should be hidden, and if you need help PLEASE ask for it!
If you can take anything away from this, please make sure that your children, your family, and your friends know that you are there for them no matter what! I don't want one other person to feel the way his family feels right now. Prayers for his family please!
First, you need to realize that in life we all fail--heck, I have had some major epic fails in my life, and I bet I'll have some more in the very near future. I think in our society we spend so much time protecting our kids from failure that we forget to remind them that losing is okay. In sports we spend time protecting our kids from the lessons that can be learned from reflecting on failures and using that knowledge to improve our practice. We need to tell our children that some of the best lessons we learn in life come from times when we fail. There is no shame in failing!
Next, as a society we need to stop making people feel bad for feeling "weak." It's okay to feel sad, and if it that feeling gets overwhelming we need to ask for help. There is NO shame in admitting that we don't have it all together. I wish this incredibly wonderful kid had told us that he was struggling. There were no signs and we are all left to feel horrible that we didn't notice. How could we not see how helpless he must have felt? Please, please let your family and friends know that there is nothing so horrible that they can't share with us. Sadness is not a weakness that should be hidden, and if you need help PLEASE ask for it!
If you can take anything away from this, please make sure that your children, your family, and your friends know that you are there for them no matter what! I don't want one other person to feel the way his family feels right now. Prayers for his family please!
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