Kerry Stutzman is a Family Therapist and Parenting Instructor passionate about teen suicide prevention. The numbers in teen suicides are rising and it’s frightening to feel so helpless as a parent! What can parents do to better support their teen’s mental health journey? Kerry has some tips on how to reduce internal teen conflict within your household and be supportive of your teen’s development.
Key Takeaways
- Kerry was heartbroken when she looked at teen suicide rates.
- When there’s intense parental conflict, the risk of suicide increases.
- Kerry understands parents don’t want to have intense conflict with their teens. They often are just scared.
- Teen suicide went up 58% from 2017 to 2019 in Colorado, where Kerry is from. In the US as a whole, it went up 25% over the last three years.
- Youth suicide has a big ripple effect. It’s not only devastating families, but it’s impacting their friends and communities as well.
- What can parents do about this?
- What do teens wish their parents knew at this time?
- Teens want to be heard, but parents are so focused on talking more than listening.
- The trick about talking less and listening more is that sometimes kids just don’t talk.
- Some teens feel like they can’t go to their parents when they’ve made a mistake. With no one to talk to, it burdens them.
- Practicing grace and patience goes a long way when trying to educate and talk to your child. Kerry used a physical trick by placing a weighted pad on her lap to keep herself grounded.
- How do you have a closer relationship with your child? How do you show them you care?
- Developmentally, your child needs to reject you. As a parent, it’s your job to not reject them.
- Want to know more about Kerry’s survey?
Quotes:
“40% of youth suicides are preceded by intense parental conflict.”
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death of youth ages 10 to 24 in the U.S. The numbers are awful.”
“Teens shared, “I wished my parents would talk less and listened more.”
