Parents
have a major role in their children’s lives – it is to keep them away from harm
and danger. But what happens when these parents start to neglect their
children? Our present society puts pressure, though unconsciously, to the youth
of today to be this or to do that. It is rather hard to keep up with the
standards being put up by these adults. Believe it or not, majority of the
youth ask themselves, “Am I enough?” or “Did I do something that can satisfy
them?” It doesn’t come as a surprise if someday, these teenagers would doubt
their parents if they even love and care for them.
Bombarded
with things to do, roles to fulfill and tasks to accomplish, the youth doesn’t
know where or what to start. There are those who were born lucky or fed with a
silver spoon that they can get whatever they want in just a snap of a finger.
But sad to say, we live in a cruel world where most of us couldn’t be as rich
as the person owning the biggest shopping mall in the Philippines or be a
member of a royal bloodline. An example to this is the suicide of the late
Kristel Tejada, a behavioral science freshman from UP-Manila. The reason of her
suicide was because she failed to pay her tuition fee amounting 10,000 php. She
wasn’t able to comply since her family is struggling as well. Tejada considered
that it was her duty to help her family thus her dismissal from school was
shattering. According to her suicide not, “I just could not take it anymore.”
The hardships encountered by Kristel are common for millions of working class
youth. Too much may result to helplessness – but then again, suicide was never
a solution. Based on the saying, ‘Suicide is a permanent solution to a
temporary problem.’ It is a waste for youth to give up so easily just to
‘solve’ a problem which, in any way, it isn’t. Parents have to be with their
children especially during hard times since teens, precisely, can’t handle
pressure well.
Media,
social media to be exact, is also one of the reasons of teenage suicide. They
tend to focus more on ‘how suicide was done’ instead of focusing on prevention.
This is relatable to that of the deceased American actor and comedian Robin
Williams. Tributes were offered, of course. One of those came from the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but what was perhaps intended as a moving
act became controversial after the Huffington Post reported that it seemed to
be glamorizing the act of suicide could spur imitative behavior among
vulnerable individuals. As of today, technology is fast rising making the
dissemination of events happening around the world real quick.
Parents
tend to ignore their children’s needs as if it’s nothing. On a separate note,
the government has been encouraging youth to consult to adults especially when
they have problems. But according to a study, troubled teens find it hard to
approach an adult as they were afraid to be judged or simply adults would turn
a blind eye on them. The death of Kapamilya actress Julia Buencamino would
serve as an example. She didn’t show signs of being suicidal nor problematic
but then again, she could’ve shown it elsewhere. And where can she express
those thoughts if not through art? Months before her death, she posted her
‘rather depressing’ artwork through a photo-sharing site Instagram. Even after
her death, questions remain unanswered as to why she committed suicide. If
those adults could’ve known better, would her suicide be prevented? It was
nobody’s fault, honestly. She couldn’t be blamed either. Julia was gone
already. People around her couldn’t be blamed either. They didn’t see it
coming. If only they could understand her, if only they didn’t underestimate
her just because she’s a teen, would that change everything? If truly she did
live a happy life, why would she commit suicide? Is it because of the demands
being brought by showbiz? Or is it because of social media? But what about peer
pressure? No one knows exactly why.
According
to Randy Dellosa, teens commit suicide because they feel extremely lonely,
desperate and helpless. That is why parents have to do their best to warn,
protect and advise their children regarding this matter as most young people
lack emotional resilience. They cannot face frustration, rejection or any kind
of failure. Thus parents and/or adults should better understand that these
young people are more vulnerable that what they thought. They should stop
looking at these teens as if they’re actual adults when in reality, they’re
young adults. There’s a difference between the two. Adults should also stop
comparing their generation to our generation. Both generations have different
types of hardships to go through. If they want to avoid the number of suicide
cases to increase and to make a troubled teen feel comfortable when approaching
them, adults should be gentle. They don’t have to force a kid to tell them
his/her problem. In other words, they have to let us, teenagers, know that
they’re there to be beside us. In that way, teens will be comfortable talking
out their problems to an adult or their parents.
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