Teen Suicide On The Rise

It's a sad fact that 43,000 teens, average was girls aged 10-14, committed suicide in 2014. Teen suicide rates have been on the rise for the past decade. Just this past year, one in twelve high school students attempted suicide. Why? A myriad of reasons that all could have been dealt with, probably preventing most of these tragic deaths, if there were more programs to inform parents, schools, and other teens what signs to look for. The next three blogs I do are going to deal with information I believe will help alert and inform people what we can do to help. First are risk factors that signal teens are needing help. *Changes in eating and sleeping habits. Take notice of anything out of the ordinary and check-in with your teen as far as how they are feeling. Are they sick? Is there something going on at school? Home? *Lack of interest in activities the teen has previously spent a lot of time enjoying. *Sudden unexplained withdrawal from family and friends. These are a few of the warning signs to watch out for. Make a point of connecting with your children on a daily basis. Engage with them in some of their favorite activities, invite them to do something with you that both of you would enjoy, find time to talk with one another in a neutral zone-in the car, at the park, or while going out for ice cream. Start while your kids are young and keep building that connection. They need to know you are there for them and not too busy or judgmental about what is important to them. My latest book, 50 Things Your Kids DON'T Want To Tell You, hits on many items that could be factors that would lead to suicide or attempts thereof. In the next post, I will list a few more risk factors that we should be aware of, that will help us to battle this horrible attack on our children.

50 Things. . .

It is now a little over a week until my book is available on the Kindle, at amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com! I can't believe it is finally being published! I'm excited and busy, having just recently made the final galley proof approval and working on the marketing plan! Outskirts Press, my publisher, has been so helpful and working hard in every step of the process. They are doing a lot with marketing help as well and setting me up with a publicist and clipping service, things I knew would be helpful but didn't exactly know how to go about getting them. I am looking forward to the book launch and reviews! It's indescribable the feelings I have as I enter this new journey from writer to author. It is definitely a great feeling to have friends and other people tell me how much they are looking forward to reading my book!

Spring Brings New Things

Life is somewhat balanced right now, busy but in a good way. Getting involved with my new church, planning out the last 1 1/2 months of school with my co-teacher, just approved the galley proofs for my book coming out in May (50 Things Your Kids DON'T Want To Tell You), and just enjoyed a nice weekend with my daughter and her family here at my home! I saw a sign the other day that captures how I'm feeling right now-I'm going to be happier today than a bird with a french fry! Life is good, and in that moment it is, we need to count our blessings, thank the Lord, and enjoy the calm waters.

Be The Example You Want Your Children To Follow

Raising kids is a big commitment, as well as a huge responsibility, and no one ever promised it would be easy! When you have a baby, that child is yours forever. You will spend at least 1/4 of your life devoted to raising and caring for that child, then the rest of your life worrying about, advising, and enjoying them as adult children! There are plenty of people and books out there that will be more than happy to tell you what the right way is to raise your children, the problem is trying to figure out which one is the right way!! This is a decision you and your spouse must decide, hopefully before you have that child. No matter what parenting style you choose, the important thing to remember is that besides the basic needs being met, a child needs unconditional love. They will make mistakes and test your patience, but they need to know that you love them, maybe not always the choices they make, but you love them. Another thing to remember is that kids will do as you do more often than what you say. The actions you perform are the actions your children will more than likely be the ones they will repeat. Positive actions will reap positive actions, hypocrisy will reap hypocrisy. Whatever type of person you hope your child will grow up to become, they will learn from you. They will model what type of person you are, so be the example you want your child to follow. Help them become the best they can be. Let them realize you will always be there for them and that they can come to you about anything that is on their mind. Growing up is harder and harder with each generation that comes along. People often forget what other people say, but they will long remember what they see people do.

Dogs Are Guaranteed Form of Entertainment!

My family and I have had dogs for most of our lives. Most have been rescues or dogs from people we know or both. Most have also been mix breeds and some of the best friends we have ever had. Currently, my son and I have made a rescue dog a part of our family. His name is Rocky and he is a white lab/pit mix. Like many, I was never a fan of pits or pit mixes, but Rocky is a unique and special dog. He has been in our family since the middle of January and is the best dog we've ever had! Being only 1 1/2 years old, he still is an awkward puppy going through his 'teen years', just like my son:) Rocky is lovable and smart, loves to play, and is full of energy. He doesn't have any faults that we have encountered as yet. Rocky is a real character and loves to play with his toys, usually while rolling on his back in the living room. Someone once said that you don't pick dogs, they pick you! I think that is very true, Rocky has settled in easily and follows us all over the house, wanting to always be around us. He smiles and is very happy when we give him attention! We are going to enjoy making many memories with him in the coming years:)

Life Is Busy And Full And I Love It!

I've been trying to get back in the swing of things, blogging and tweeting, but it is hard to remember to find that quiet piece of time when I can focus on what I want to say. Sometimes I feel like I am out of words. . .like I've used them all up with teaching my second graders, doing enrichment book club activities with K-4th graders, collaborating with my peers, working on my book projects, and of course spending time with my family! It's late at night before I can settle down to some private time and work on trying to connect with other people in this way. It's a great way to reach out though and share. I'm amazed how many people are going through some of the same things I am, and yet different. We share circumstances and feelings, but our lives are uniquely ours and special in so many ways. I feel so blessed that I have been going through the experiences I have been going through these past six months, it's been a whirlwind of ups and craziness and miracles. I hope I never have some of the same things happen again (like the rollover car accident!) but I am very grateful that I walked away from it! God is not done with me yet, He has more for me to do. My book is coming out next month in May, 50 Things Your Kids DON'T Want To Tell You, and so I have been busy working with the publishing team to get it ready and also working on marketing plans to try to reach as many parents, and people that work with young people, as possible. I believe this book will help a lot in making young people feel like they are being heard and that they are loved. I was able to decide on the book's design cover last week and would like to share it with anyone that is interested. Let me know what you think about the design and the purpose/content idea of the book! I have it's sequel in the making and hoping it comes out in the fall!