One of the reasons people don’t ask the hard questions is because they’re afraid of what happens if the person actually answers.

What if they say they’re not okay?

What if they start crying?

What if they tell me they don’t want to live?

What am I supposed to say?

You don’t have to have the perfect words.

You don’t have to fix their life in one conversation. You don’t have to suddenly become a therapist or know exactly what they’re going through.

Sometimes you just need to say, “I’m glad you told me.”

You can say, “I’m here. You don’t have to go through this by yourself.”

You can say, “Tell me what’s going on.”

You can say, “I’m not judging you.”

And if they’re talking about suicide, take them seriously. Stay with them if you can and help connect them with someone who can keep them safe.

I think as parents, we sometimes want to immediately solve whatever is hurting our kids. We want to make the problem disappear. We want to tell them why things will get better.

But sometimes they don’t need a lecture about why life is good.

They need someone willing to sit there and hear how bad it feels right now.

I’ve learned through some of life’s hardest moments that there are things you cannot fix with the right words. There are things you wish you could go back and change. And there are conversations you would give anything to have again.

So don’t worry so much about saying the perfect thing.

Say something.

Listen.

Stay.

And help them get through the moment they’re in.

Because silence isn’t the only way to get it wrong.

Sometimes saying, “I don’t know exactly what to say, but I’m not leaving you alone with this,” is enough to start.

If someone is in immediate danger or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If there is immediate danger, call 911.

#SuicidePreventionMonth #SuicideAwareness #Listen #CheckOnYourPeople #YouAreNotAlone