Mental health esp re Texas flooding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question for OP. There are thousands of innocent people die every day for various reasons - war, hunger, natural events (like Tx). Why is this hitting you harder than other needleless deaths? Is it because it happened here in US?

Because she has girls that age and the camp was a girl's camp. Seriously, it's not that hard to see the connection.

Girls that age die every day. Sudan, Gaza, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if you had the same feelings when children are shot dead in their classrooms, the same age as your children? What makes it different about the Texas floods? In both situations it’s innocent children whose lives were ended too soon and a place where they thought they should feel safe.

Op here. I tell my 12 year old that there are pros and cons to being sensitive or empathetic. Sadly, this is a con. While I have been extremely sad over Gaza, the last time I cried like this over children in the US was Uvalde. In this case it’s especially the fact that the smallest children - the 8 year olds - were closest to the river and the posts I see about things like cleaning and returning their stuffed animals to their families. My 8 year old came home yesterday and got really upset because one of her stuffed animals had accidentally ended up under a box my husband moved (the animal was fine). One of my favorite things about summer is I don’t worry about school shootings. I obviously send my kids to school anyway and manage and conceptually know they’re at higher risk every time they’re in the car - but it makes me be sure to tell them I love them before they go out the door because it’s often on my mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if you had the same feelings when children are shot dead in their classrooms, the same age as your children? What makes it different about the Texas floods? In both situations it’s innocent children whose lives were ended too soon and a place where they thought they should feel safe.

Op here. I tell my 12 year old that there are pros and cons to being sensitive or empathetic. Sadly, this is a con. While I have been extremely sad over Gaza, the last time I cried like this over children in the US was Uvalde. In this case it’s especially the fact that the smallest children - the 8 year olds - were closest to the river and the posts I see about things like cleaning and returning their stuffed animals to their families. My 8 year old came home yesterday and got really upset because one of her stuffed animals had accidentally ended up under a box my husband moved (the animal was fine). One of my favorite things about summer is I don’t worry about school shootings. I obviously send my kids to school anyway and manage and conceptually know they’re at higher risk every time they’re in the car - but it makes me be sure to tell them I love them before they go out the door because it’s often on my mind.

I mean this in the kindest way possible. Therapy, STAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if you had the same feelings when children are shot dead in their classrooms, the same age as your children? What makes it different about the Texas floods? In both situations it’s innocent children whose lives were ended too soon and a place where they thought they should feel safe.

Op here. I tell my 12 year old that there are pros and cons to being sensitive or empathetic. Sadly, this is a con. While I have been extremely sad over Gaza, the last time I cried like this over children in the US was Uvalde. In this case it’s especially the fact that the smallest children - the 8 year olds - were closest to the river and the posts I see about things like cleaning and returning their stuffed animals to their families. My 8 year old came home yesterday and got really upset because one of her stuffed animals had accidentally ended up under a box my husband moved (the animal was fine). One of my favorite things about summer is I don’t worry about school shootings. I obviously send my kids to school anyway and manage and conceptually know they’re at higher risk every time they’re in the car - but it makes me be sure to tell them I love them before they go out the door because it’s often on my mind.

OP, you need to stop reading about the flood. It's not healthy for you. People used to say "information is power" but too much information is ... unhealthy, and you are a perfect example of that. I don't need to look at the faces of kids killed by school shootings. People post pics and say "Remember their names!" but ... why? There's no point for me. I always have voted for gun control. My memorizing the names or faces of the kids in the latest school shooting won't change anything in my life in a positive way. You need to stop watching/reading the news. Go take your kids to the park and watch them play. Go connect with friends. Get some therapy so you can get some emotional distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP do you live in Texas? Did you send your children to Camp Mystic? If both answers are no, then get on the phone to your PCP to make a mental health appointment. You sound unhinged.

This could happen anywhere. Be real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question for OP. There are thousands of innocent people die every day for various reasons - war, hunger, natural events (like Tx). Why is this hitting you harder than other needleless deaths? Is it because it happened here in US?

Because she has girls that age and the camp was a girl's camp. Seriously, it's not that hard to see the connection.

Girls that age die every day. Sudan, Gaza, etc.

Not relevant. We don't live in Gaza or the Sudan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question for OP. There are thousands of innocent people die every day for various reasons - war, hunger, natural events (like Tx). Why is this hitting you harder than other needleless deaths? Is it because it happened here in US?

Because she has girls that age and the camp was a girl's camp. Seriously, it's not that hard to see the connection.

Girls that age die every day. Sudan, Gaza, etc.

Not relevant. We don't live in Gaza or the Sudan.

So deaths of foreigners are not relevant. Their suffering means nothing.

[Anonymous]

It's trauma/grief porn. In some way you are getting off on it or you wouldn't keep consuming the content.

Yes, it's terrible. But stop following the content about stuffed animals being reunited with parents. This is a choice and stop.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible that you are addicted to suffering? Our brains were not meant to process all this global grief. It is bad for your mental health, and honestly bad for your kids to see their mom so affected. Get off the internet and focus on the gifts you have. Suffering alongside those parents doesn't make their plight any easier. It serves no purpose but somehow your brain has decided that doing so is somehow "helpful."

I am a sensitive person, too, but I have learned how to stay in my own orbit. Don't borrow trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if you had the same feelings when children are shot dead in their classrooms, the same age as your children? What makes it different about the Texas floods? In both situations it’s innocent children whose lives were ended too soon and a place where they thought they should feel safe.

Op here. I tell my 12 year old that there are pros and cons to being sensitive or empathetic. Sadly, this is a con. While I have been extremely sad over Gaza, the last time I cried like this over children in the US was Uvalde. In this case it’s especially the fact that the smallest children - the 8 year olds - were closest to the river and the posts I see about things like cleaning and returning their stuffed animals to their families. My 8 year old came home yesterday and got really upset because one of her stuffed animals had accidentally ended up under a box my husband moved (the animal was fine). One of my favorite things about summer is I don’t worry about school shootings. I obviously send my kids to school anyway and manage and conceptually know they’re at higher risk every time they’re in the car - but it makes me be sure to tell them I love them before they go out the door because it’s often on my mind.

So you only cry over American deaths. Interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question for OP. There are thousands of innocent people die every day for various reasons - war, hunger, natural events (like Tx). Why is this hitting you harder than other needleless deaths? Is it because it happened here in US?

DP and there are lots of brutal stories about the floods that go into great detail about parents losing their children; I just read one about a dad who lost his two daughters and it was gut-wrenching. There’s a 24 hour news cycle, and this story has been the focus.

I understand how OP feels. Its impact on me is that I’m just keenly, keenly aware that all we have is today, and I just try to ground myself in the moment. There are times that the fragility of life makes me fret over my kids’ safety a bit more, and I imagine if I’m not careful, my anxiety will impact my kids (like last night I was lecturing them that they must never take a shower during a storm, but I was probably over-the-top about it)…it’s hard.

[Anonymous]

I get it, OP. My daughter was in first grade during the Sandy Hook shootings, and I couldn’t get that one out of my head. It still makes me cry thinking about it, honestly.

Feelings are not useless, but they are information. In my case, I think that cycling over Sandy Hook was part of my processing that my kids live in a fallen world, and there is only so much I can do to protect them. It was and remains a hard thing to accept.

[Anonymous]

I felt the same after Sandy Hook

Give yourself time to feel your emotions and be present with your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if you had the same feelings when children are shot dead in their classrooms, the same age as your children? What makes it different about the Texas floods? In both situations it’s innocent children whose lives were ended too soon and a place where they thought they should feel safe.

Op here. I tell my 12 year old that there are pros and cons to being sensitive or empathetic. Sadly, this is a con. While I have been extremely sad over Gaza, the last time I cried like this over children in the US was Uvalde. In this case it’s especially the fact that the smallest children - the 8 year olds - were closest to the river and the posts I see about things like cleaning and returning their stuffed animals to their families. My 8 year old came home yesterday and got really upset because one of her stuffed animals had accidentally ended up under a box my husband moved (the animal was fine). One of my favorite things about summer is I don’t worry about school shootings. I obviously send my kids to school anyway and manage and conceptually know they’re at higher risk every time they’re in the car - but it makes me be sure to tell them I love them before they go out the door because it’s often on my mind.

So you only cry over American deaths. Interesting.

Come on

Death is around every corner for those kids

Stop acting like you care so much. What are you doing besides having fun on the internet

[Anonymous]

I understand. This is just so different. These girls were left by their parents and supervisors in a bad situation, and suffered because of it. It wasn’t a quick death, it was terrifying and prolonged. It’s one thing to be in your family camper and be washed away, but another to be helpless and abandoned by people who are supposed to be caring for you.