Tuesday night’s meeting sounded out a serious call — a call to vigilance, a call to diligence, a call to BE PRESENT in our children’s lives.

With pre-adult suicide rates, bullying, and depression escalating in this generation – it is a call to arms to stand guard and to link arms with other parents, guardians, educators, family and community members – links who make up this vital circle around our children.

THE NUMBERS:

· Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), surpassed only by accidents and homicide.

· Although suicide is relatively rare among children, the rate of suicides and suicide attempts increases tremendously during adolescence.

· The risk of suicide increases dramatically when kids and teens have access to firearms at home, and nearly 60% of all suicides in the United States are committed with a gun.

· Girls attempt suicide more often than guys, but guys are about 4 times more likely to succeed when they try to kill themselves. This is because guys tend to use more deadly methods, like guns or hanging. More that half of suicide attempts involve a gun.

· Suicide attempts are the highest during middle adolescence. By abut age 17 or 18, the rate of suicide attempts drops. This may be because older teens have learn to tolerate sad or upset moods, know how to get the support they need, and have developed better coping needs.

· Approximately 95% of people who die by suicide have a psychological disorder at the time of death)

(Source: Warning Signs of Suicide, About Teen Suicide)

THE ANSWERS:

Lifeline Director and Parenting Empowerment advocate Candace Schmidt showed on Tuesday that the root cause, as well as the solution is PRESENCE: Fathers must be present. Mothers must be present. And they must start talking.

She pointed us to the connection and the answer:

We can nip children’s depression in the bud by being THERE for our children.

We can stop teenage suicide by starting talking to our kids when they are 1, 2 or 3 years old, and not stop.

We can provide a refuge for depressed, suicidal teens by showing them a way out, by making them know they’re heard, understood, and loved. THAT THEY CAN TALK. AND SOMEONE WILL LISTEN.

She showed that you being present means you talk: It starts at home. In the kitchen. In the dining room. In the car. In the crib. In preschool, elementary, high school, and college. Before they date. When they start to date. Etc.

When parents are present and when they TALK, that safety net that every individual needs is made. It prepares them for life’s difficulties. Children’s questions get answered. Teens’ anxieties get addressed. Mental disorders get prevented. Escalated effects of hopelessness get avoided. Future lives as well-balanced and well-adjusted humans get secured.

The mandate to parents then: TALK. Be there to talk. And listen. It starts there. Explain. Teach. Show. tell. Laugh. Be patient. Be firm. Tell stories. Point out things in life. Things in nature. Nurture independent thinking. Set boundaries. Follow your instinct. Be brave. Listen to your gut. Don’t let yourself be shut out. Praise their efforts. Build stamina. Talk them through. In doing so, you equip them with tools and weapons they’ll need in the daily battle of life – yes, even their very young lives. You train them to overcome. You teach them to win. You build that mechanism that helps them to survive and thrive. It starts with being around and talking. So talk.