September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Pretty much everyone in the United States knows about 911. But do you know about 988? It’s the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Remember the number and tell your teens about it.

It’s estimated by the CDC that nearly 50,000 people died in the United States from suicide in 2022. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death.

You are important and your kids are important. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you or your teen need it.

Suicide is devastating to a family. And it’s not just teens who are dying. Parents are killing themselves as well. Sadly, the death of a parent can cause a long-term chain reaction. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center found that children who are under 18 when their parents commit suicide are three times as likely as children with living parents to later commit suicide themselves.

What can we do? Immediately:

1) We can listen.

2) We can be kind.

3) And, we can care.

In Psychology Today, Lisa Firestone, Ph.D. writes about a man who paced for an hour on the Golden Gate Bridge hoping and praying that someone would stop and ask him what was wrong before he jumped. He’s one of the few who lived.

Make sure to take that minute to look at your teen and ask if they’re ok. My hope is that they’ll do the same for you.

I regularly talk about grades and asking your teens to try their best. I will continue to do that, but know that a score is never more important than your teen. A grade on a test will never reflect their worth in this world.

When researching about teen suicide, the Mayo Clinic noted that teens “might have a very hard time dealing with rejection, failure, breakups, school troubles or family problems. And they might not be able to see that they can turn their lives around.”

Again, listen to your teen. I work with teens to make sure they know they can learn. If your teen mentions they’re struggling at school, that they just can’t get it, contact me. For some teens, grades seem like the only thing they can control. When they lose that control, life gets harder.

Grades are not typically the top concern in a teen’s life. That’s the way it should be. Unfortunately, they can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. A tragic example is a teen whose mama had recently died. Struggling with her passing, the teen and his dad began to argue and fight more often. When he failed a test at school, he knew his father would be angry. Rather than deal with another fight, the teen ended his life.

Prevent it from getting like that. Seek help.

Take a minute and give your teen a hug. Let them know you care. And if you can, share a smile with someone you don’t know. Thank someone for a small kindness and perform a small kindness of your own.

Everyone hurts sometimes, and your kindness might make the difference.