Reality’s a Bitch
Reality’s a Bitch
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This week, my daughter got a major dose of reality. At school.
Although she’s very social, and has lots of friends, like every middle-schooler, she hangs out mostly with a certain group.
Since we live so far away from school (22 miles), I’ve only met some of her friends. However, I’m a mean, nosy mom, and have control of her phone, so I know how she & her friends communicate with texts & photos. 😉
One of her friends has been depressed. The friend has commented on it a bit, but not in detail. Nothing that told her friends that something was really wrong.
During breakfast, the four girls were together. They were heading to first hour, and my daughter & 2 others ran back to the lunchroom to grab their backpacks, while the other girl went into the girl’s bathroom. You know how girls like to hang out in the bathroom at school. Weird, but it is a thing. I remember from when I was in school…. and it wasn’t just the ones trying to sneak in a smoke.
One of the friends got her stuff quickly, and went into the bathroom where their friend had gone. A few minutes later my daughter & the other girl went into the girl’s bathroom to find one friend crying, and the other with a bottle of pills. Thankfully a teacher walked in at that point, assessed the situation and took the bottle. Of course all the girls went down to the office.
No, they weren’t selling drugs. They were anti-depressants, and the girl intended to overdose. She didn’t flaunt the bottle or tell anyone (as one would who was trying to get attention). She was trying to be discrete when her friend walked in and realized what she was doing & tried to stop her. I imagine it was a very intense situation. My daughter can’t get through the story without crying.
The girls all talked to the principal, and the resource officer. They were all upset because they thought there was something they should have / could have done differently. He told them what they should do if they ever encounter such a thing again.
Yes, the girl who intended to overdose is getting help.
My daughter occasionally breaks down, saying she wished she did something more. It’s hard to explain to her that if her friend didn’t give her any indication that there was a problem, and there’s nothing more she could have done. I told her to just be a good friend, listen, and if something seems strange, don’t be quiet about it.
I think at 13, this is just a bit too much reality, and I hate that it hurts her. BUT, at the same time, mean as it is, reality’s a bitch, and this will be a life lesson that she will always remember.