General Discussion

Denninmi

(6,581 posts)

43. I think you missed an opportunity to speak to your son about mental illness.

Thu Jan 17, 2013, 01:14 PM

Jan 2013

However, it's not too late. You might want to explain to your son the following:

"Crazy" is a pejorative term which many people with a mental health issue find offensive, in the same way the "n-word" or the "f-word" are offensive.

Sociopaths are not necessarily mentally ill.

Mental illness is a very broad term, it covers an entire spectrum of conditions including eating disorders, social anxiety, depression, substance abuse, as well as more significant conditions like schizophrenia.

MI can strike ANYONE at ANY TIME due to life circumstances, genetics, or environment.

The vast, vast majority are in no way violent, harmful, or "scary" and deserve to be treated with compassion, empathy, and the same respect anyone in civil society should be shown.

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So my 3rd-grade son asked me if there are any crazy people with guns near us. [View all] SunSeeker Jan 2013 OP

How sad. Atleast you can tell him everytime you do something okaawhatever Jan 2013 #1

I am so sorry that your boy has to go through that. daschess1987 Jan 2013 #2

for a child that asks,telling them the bad man is dead so he can never come to you, seems best. Sunlei Jan 2013 #3

Agreed. Absolutely. nt Chorophyll Jan 2013 #51

Post removed Post removed Jan 2013 #4

and yet those kids were still shot to death and he is in the 3rd grade JI7 Jan 2013 #6

So you lied to your kid, good job. People need to be truthful with kids stultusporcos Jan 2013 #5

no it's not always bad, as he gets older he will know why he was lied to JI7 Jan 2013 #7

As a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, BlueMTexpat Jan 2013 #10

I hope you don't have children, because no child needs to be told lunatica Jan 2013 #18

Rude and absurd thing to say here. I don't see any lies at all. Apologize to OP for you. Laura PourMeADrink Jan 2013 #19

The child is in 3rd grade. redwitch Jan 2013 #26

But we DO live in a safe area where this sort of thing has never happened. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #38

Your life your kid do what you want I only posted my opinion stultusporcos Jan 2013 #48

Spoken like someone who doesn't know any actual kids. nt Chorophyll Jan 2013 #53

If you say so stultusporcos Jan 2013 #56

What part of what I said is not the truth? SunSeeker Jan 2013 #63

You must be an expert on child-rearing, huh? Chorophyll Jan 2013 #52

Must be! See Reply #48 stultusporcos Jan 2013 #54

I don't know if it is a good idea to tell someone upaloopa Jan 2013 #57

What is even sadder is that what you BlueMTexpat Jan 2013 #8

Um Nuclear Unicorn Jan 2013 #13

Thank you for your support of the NRA marions ghost Jan 2013 #17

And Hitler was a vegetarian ergo all vegetarians are Nazis. Nuclear Unicorn Jan 2013 #35

Statistics show marions ghost Jan 2013 #37

Hitler was not a vegetarian -- he ate meat obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #44

Hunters gotta make sure they can take down those charging crazed deer lunatica Jan 2013 #20

Lanza used a Bushmaster to slaughter those children malaise Jan 2013 #21

. Nuclear Unicorn Jan 2013 #36

The medical examiner report stated that the victims were all killed with the Bushmaster. yardwork Jan 2013 #40

Are you *really* trying to draw similarities in owning golf clubs to owning firearms? Earth_First Jan 2013 #22

No. I said quite clearly that I was describing those who do not participate in a given activity Nuclear Unicorn Jan 2013 #32

+ 1 Civil Rights, a package deal. Remmah2 Jan 2013 #34

Hold up there cowboy..you've made a few assumptions MichiganVote Jan 2013 #61

Go peddle your points elsewhere. BlueMTexpat Jan 2013 #65

Thank you, well said marions ghost Jan 2013 #15

Finding Crazy Skee Jan 2013 #31

Sadly, in the US today, BlueMTexpat Jan 2013 #66

I would have lied too. Kalidurga Jan 2013 #9

Of course! It's absurd to think a parent would say "NO, it is not safe here or anywhere. Those Laura PourMeADrink Jan 2013 #24

A story... ReRe Jan 2013 #11

What is "normal" marions ghost Jan 2013 #16

You really like beating people over the head don't you? lunatica Jan 2013 #23

Well, I mean when the.... ReRe Jan 2013 #27

Thank you for your reasonable response marions ghost Jan 2013 #30

It's a mess, isn't it? ReRe Jan 2013 #41

Post removed Post removed Jan 2013 #12

This message was self-deleted by its author UnrepentantLiberal Jan 2013 #14

I had to talk about Newtown to my 3rd and 2nd graders but we live 25 minutes from the Jennicut Jan 2013 #25

More lost innocents liberal N proud Jan 2013 #28

I couldn't hide the truth from my 4th grader. He knew better - lynne Jan 2013 #29

Interesting, my kids fear people who text and drive and drink and drive. Remmah2 Jan 2013 #33

Yes. my kindergarten great grandson was telling me about code words for "run and hide" and some jwirr Jan 2013 #39

It is wrong that children should worry about dying csziggy Jan 2013 #42

I think you missed an opportunity to speak to your son about mental illness. Denninmi Jan 2013 #43

I get you, but I was trying to put a spooked kid to bed. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #45

This is a nuanced and compassionate post. Brickbat Jan 2013 #46

Thank you. Denninmi Jan 2013 #47

... sheshe2 Jan 2013 #60

Hey delusional gun nuts scare me far more than any terrorist ever could. Initech Jan 2013 #49

This is the crux of the gun question. One would hope that decent people would always put Chorophyll Jan 2013 #50

When I was in third grade Sekhmets Daughter Jan 2013 #55

Besides that for me as a child, the Bush Duct Tape Fiasco HockeyMom Jan 2013 #58

Some? Sekhmets Daughter Jan 2013 #59

That your child had to ask you the question in the ... sheshe2 Jan 2013 #62

I'm a parent. Knowing the right thing to say RIGHT NOW can be difficult sometimes. ZombieHorde Jan 2013 #64