Reply to Need positive stories about teens

Forum Index » Elementary School-Aged Kids

Reply to "Need positive stories about teens"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Not a parent of a teen (yet), but I was a very, very troubled teen who put my parents through all kinds of hell.  You name it, I did it: drinking, lots of drugs, sex early on, hanging out with an older, tough crowd, etc. Diagnosed with major depression, spent 28 days in an inpatient facility following a really rough patch.  Things didn't magically clear up after I got out of there, but they did sloooowly start improving after lots of therapy and once the doctors finally found the right meds to put me on.  To be very honest, figuring out the meds took quite awhile, but this was 20 years ago and not as much was known then, either.  Anyway, fast forward: I ended up switching to a smaller HS midway through freshman year.  That made a huge difference for me, because I felt like I could focus better and also felt comfortable talking with my teachers about what had happened.  They were very understanding and worked with me to make sure the transition wasn't too overwhelming.  I graduated with honors, attended a very good small college, graduated from there w/ honors, have a great job, married the love of my life and now have three great kids.  I'm not going to lie and say it's all been sunshine and roses: I still see a psychiatrist and therapist regularly and am on meds to manage the depression.  Some days are hard, but the majority are not.  I can usually tell when I'm going into a depression and know how to preemptively deal with it.  I don't drink much and I'm vigilant about working out, getting enough sleep, and taking care of myself as best I can.  I know if I don't, I'm more likely to have a hard time and that will negatively impact the people I love most.  My relationship with my parents is excellent now.  I don't think any of us ever thought that would happen.

If there is anything I can say to a parent in your shoes, it would be this: I know you are worried sick about your kid, but please, please remember to also take care of YOU right now.  Be good to yourself.  Letting the stress of this wear you down isn't going to do anyone any good.  There are many other parents going through similar issues with their kids.  Seek them out and share your stories.  Get yourself professional help if you feel like you might succumb to depression; it's nothing to mess around with.  Raising a teenager is a marathon, not a sprint.  I will keep you guys in my thoughts and hope for the best.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics