Dumbing it Down: I have a teenaged son

[Joe Nation]

30. Hope your life is getting better

I have three teenage sons. They were raised in what I consider a relatively privileged home. We weren't rich but we had enough to get along. What we were rich in was two dedicated parents that loved their kids unconditionally. We are all very close, supportive of each other, had no major losses of any kind, had extended family support, a nice home, a good neighborhood, good schools, and kids that had many friends and even some great girlfriends along the way. We still had one son that was suicidal. What could we have done differently? I have no idea. They are all doing great these days but there was about a year where we weren't sure that we weren't going to lose one of our kids. My point is that while trauma and loss and a multitude of other problems are obvious negative influences on kids development, sometimes there is nothing at all to point at and you can still get hit right between the eyes by what life hands you. The only thing I can tell anyone is that it does get better eventually but never give up.