A Dozen Reasons

There's a dozen reasons to listen and act.

1. I want to get high off drugs.
2. I want to kill myself.
3. I am never good enough.
4. I have low self-esteem.
5. I think fights are entertaining.
6. I am always depressed.
7. I want to bully that kid until they cry.
8. I want to drink until I am wasted.
9. I just want someone to notice me.
10. I want to be the life of the party.
11. I can't take all the pressure!
12. Does anyone even care?

What if I told you that many teens think about these list of thoughts on a daily basis? I know what you're thinking: no, not my kid. That's a common response, but you're not off the hook yet. Can you tell me:

• why nearly half of all teens have had a drink before they reach 8th grade
• why suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens
• why more teens will gather to watch a fight than break it
• why many teens glorify attended parties on their personal web pages
• or why depression is common but usually failed to be seen?

Among other questions, can you tell me why many parents say “gosh, I can't wait until they're past their teen years.” Isn't it because those are the hardest years to get through with the pressures, drama, and communication? You can joke about it, but it's no joke when your teen is thinking negative thoughts; and it's certainly no joke when it turns into a serious situation.

The parents that lost their child who was under the influence in a deadly car accident, the parents who lost their child to an unexpected suicide, the parents who lost their child to an unpredictable drug overdose…I'm sure they were thinking the same thing: no, not my kid—only now it's too late to react.

What is this site about?

After experiencing the loss of a young neighbor to suicide and noticing increased media attention on teenager substance abuse and peer pressure, I was moved to create this web site and spread awareness on a number of problems that teenagers face today. Most importantly, I am emphasizing the importance of keeping communication open between you and your kids.

Are you going to watch or change?

I'm a driven college student, and it's troublesome for me to see so many young people head their life down a dark and narrow road. I'm sharing urgent knowledge alongside my perspectives within this site. What you do with the information given is up to you, but I hope you don't keep it to yourself.

An inspirational person told me this well-known proverb one day: “It takes a village to raise a child.”…and indeed it does. It takes a whole community of people to learn from each other and make positive change.

There's a dozen reasons why we should listen and act.
Read this site to find out why.