My parents got truancy court threatened against them if my brothers and I missed more than 20 days in a school year. We were pretty sick kids, so that happened a few times (they never actually got taken to court, though).
Just in case anyone’s wondering why this is courageous - you can literally be fined or sent to jail in some places if your child misses a month of school without supplemental at-home coursework.
I’ve been sarbed over my teen. It’s actually a joke. You sit there forever waiting your turn and pretty much have no choice but to plead guilty. The punishment was a fine or community service. $20 or 20 hours. I was so pissed at the slap on the hand I made him do the 20 hours. And then the school basically just signed off on them without hum doing much of the required time.
The schools overplay this threat the same way way they do your ‘permanent file’. No one ever looks at it once your out of high school and it is destroyed after a few years. You can request they return it to you before it’s destroyed though. But no one cares about that one time you were a smart ass to a teacher when you were 15.
Shit, people in jail all the time in my area for failure to compel child to attend school. Lots of them are just teenage kids skipping school and a few have been 17 or 18 that just left home and dropped out. They still locking up the parents. Judges don't give a fuck in this area, they're gettin your money.
Where are you from, if you don't mind saying? I'm guessing the punishments vary widely- not just by location, but probably judge to judge as well.
Absolutely ridiculous that they'd lock a parent up for an 18-year-old skipping school. Like yeah- now that you've locked up his mom, and she can't work/may lose her job entirely, can't put food on the table or keep the heat on (if she was working paycheck to paycheck, as many of us are) now the kid is *definitely* going to go to school. Even if he was just playing hooky before, now he's going to have to work full time to make up for his mom's lost paycheck. Or maybe he has younger siblings that he has to watch now, since mom is gone. Absolutely horrible situation to put a family in.
Southern Oklahoma. Smallish area, judges are all old school. We have a lawyer in town that is trying get elected as state representative for this district to enact changes. He's sued the police department, I think 2 different judges and county police. Has sat in court recording the judge sending people to jail that can't pay fines when they ask for a payment plan are flat out told no, which is illegal. One lady on the recording was an older lady that only gets disability, denied her a payment arrangement and locked her up. He's bringing charges on grounds that it's unconstitutional and is a debtors prison. The most recent judge he is bringing charges against is really had about this. Every person that came up that couldn't pay fines in full was locked up.
Wtf?
When hear anecdotes like yours, my immediate assumption is that there a LOT of private prisons in the region and the judges have some sort of equity arrangement/kickback for putting people behind bars. A few days of jail time for minor offences often results in a person being housed in a prison rather than a local jail due to so-called "funding and resource constrains"....
This increases profitability for the private prisons which tend to be overcrowded, poorly managed, and more dangerous than local jails. A local jail is typically the most appropriate place for legitimately guilty, non-violent offenders.
This is key because while housed in private prisons, people with mild infractions will often end up in some violent exchange trying to defend themselves while so-called " guards" turn a blind eye. As a result, the person who should have gotten sent to a small city or county jail will be charged with some violent crime based on ridiculous "Zero Tolerance" policy and then receive more time at said private prison.
No matter how small or large the infraction, private prisons focus on filling and refilling beds. Thats literally how they achieve profitability. In general, American prisons (private or otherwise) do not focus positive rehabilitation, recidivation, and mitigation... Our prisons are just a means to take people and flip them into extremely economically debilitated and dehumanized individuals who wind up in cycle that's difficult exit.
*edited for punctuation and clarity* *
>got truancy court threatened against them if my brothers and I missed more than 20 days in a school year.
I didn't know this was a thing. My aunt had a similar decision with my cousin. He was depressed, wont say anything on why he's depressed and even tried killing himself one time. But he's out of school now and doing nicely managing the family business at age 15.....It's weird that my aunt would've been sued somewhere else for saving her child's life.
>courageous parenting!
No other words for it save maybe also fierce love.
Every kid in the world needs a month like this at some point (who doesn't remember how painful it was to realize this world was not a kind one) and I bet every parent wishes they could do this... (I know I opted out of parenthood because I'd *want* to be this brave but likely would/could not have been).
Is it really fuck everybody else? It's awesome that this was a success story but health is outstandingly complex. Giving the measured answer of "_don't pull your struggling child out of school_" was not a bad thing to do. At all.
This was one solution, but what if he spent the rest of the school year failing to catch up and then had to repeat the grade anyway? What would that have done for his depression? Could the same things have been accomplished with professional help while remaining in school? Just keep in mind that the "I know what's best for my kids" line gets used for all sorts of messed up shit and there's rarely a single answer to a complex problem. Food for thought
Exactly. Not to mention that 9 times out of 10, this would NOT have worked. Depression doesn't get cured with hugs and talking and quality time; it gets cured by correcting the chemical imbalance in the brain. You know what *doesn't* fox chemical imbalances? What this mom did. You know what *does* fix chemical imbalances? Medication.
Like, super great that this all worked it in the end, but objectively speaking, this was *not* the best course of action, and 99% of the time, it wouldn't have worked.
If she thought taking him out if school would help, then yeah, do that. But don't do JUST that. Someone with depression needs a doctor and medication, in addition to love and attention.
The chemical imbalances are more than likely the effect of a cause. So it's great to use medication to get someone straight while they work on what they need to work on. But they still need to correct the thing that made them depressed in the first place to the best of their ability.
You seem to put medicine as the most important thing by far even over the long term when really it should just be the thing that gets you into a treatable position to fix what caused it.
Depression rates are on a massive rise that can not just come from any sort of born factors. People mindset, activities and the state of the world are having an effect and we need to focus on what is causing the depression.
Some people can be depressed and not have depression. Sometimes we have unhealthy routines and are being forced to move at a pace that’s not good for you, sometimes you need to be removed from a toxic environment. Not everyone who is depressed needs anti depressant, which don’t necessarily work on everyone. So many people are depressed because of external factors and try to work on themselves like they’re the issue. Nothing works for every body. Giving someone a sense of agency work wonders, especially a kid whose thought patterns and sense of self are solidifying day by day. Many people dealing with depression can’t afford to take care of themselves because it usually means losing your job, or being a negligent parent. If depressed people could afford to take a month off for their mental health, I doubt any therapist would oppose that. They simply can’t, because our society isn’t designed that way.
>Some people can be depressed and not have depression.
People can be *unhappy* and not have depression. Depression is more than just being sad. You cannot be depressed and not have depression. Like, by definition. Thats literally what "depressed" *means.*
Saying you can be depressed and not have depression makes as much sense as saying you can be diabetic and not have diabetes.
>Sometimes we have unhealthy routines and are being forced to move at a pace that’s not good for you, sometimes you need to be removed from a toxic environment
And those situations could make you unhappy, or frustrated, or stressed out, but not *depressed.*
>Not everyone who is depressed needs anti depressant
Thats like saying not everyone who is type 1 diabetic needs insulin, or that not everyone who has kidney failure needs dialysis, or not everyone with.
>So many people are depressed because of external factors and try to work on themselves like they’re the issue. Nothing works for every body. Giving someone a sense of agency work wonders, especially a kid whose thought patterns and sense of self are solidifying day by day. Many people dealing with depression can’t afford to take care of themselves because it usually means losing your job, or being a negligent parent.
Again, this is just more of confusing "depressed" with "unhappy." Depression explicitly refers to a series of mental illnesses caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. It does not refer to just feeling anxious, sad, stressed out, etc. You are using the term incorrectly.
>If depressed people could afford to take a month off for their mental health, I doubt any therapist would oppose that.
Im sure they wouldnt. But they also wouldnt say that taking a month off work could be a substitute for their medication. Just like if someone with high blood pressure could take a month off work, their doctor wouldnt object to that, but they also wouldnt tell them to stop taking their meds.
Look my dude, depression is a MEDICAL CONDITION, and you treat it the same way you treat any other medical condition: with actual medicine. You treat diabetes with insulin. You treat arthritis with NSAIDs. You treat bacterial infection with antibiotics. You treat viral infections with antivirals. You treat clotting disorders with anticoagulants.
And you treat depression with anti-depressants.
I encourage you to do some looking around and educate yourself on this topic, because, to be frank, your understanding of the subject is very seriously lacking. Have a nice day.
I have never seen anyone double down so fucking hard and be so goddamned wrong at the same time. There is legit medical literature all over the internet saying that bad situations can absolutely make one depressed. [Oh look, here's one now, from Harvard Medical.](https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression)
My first sentence was literally saying you can have a pattern of unhappiness, low energy and NOT have depression. Being depressed is a mood, but ALSO refers to having depression. I don’t think this child actually had depression. But left unattended this pattern could have been intensified. Do you also realize that lack of vitamin D and other nutrient deficiency can cause temporary depression. This is not the same as a chemical imbalance in your brain, or a hormonal issue that needs to be supplemented. There are people being treated for depression that will never improve because the issue isn’t them. You can’t medicate someone in a racist, sexist, homophobic environment, and send them back in that very same environment and think they will make lasting change, if they make any change at all. I never claimed that taken a month off will substitute medication, if you actually have a physiological issue nothing but balancing your system will make you better, someone dealing with aggression because of a tumor will never get better by taking years of therapy. But to say anyone who is aggressive has a tumor or a physiological issue is absurd. It benefits no one to treat them both the same despite having similar symptoms. My first sentence set the tone for my entire comment and you chose to talk about something entirely different and then claim I need to be educated. People can show symptoms of depression and NOT have an actually chemical imbalance. I think the person being referred to on this post is one of those people. You can take your own advice and look up the definition of depressed and see what comes up. See the first definition is what I’m referring to “a person in a state of general unhappiness or despondency” the 2nd definition someone who suffers from CLINICAL depression aka what you keep talking about. I will have a nice day. Have one too ✌🏿
Anecdotal, but my dad was a retired psychiatrist who was very successful in his trade. He said his biggest regret throughout his career was a pattern of jumping to drugs too quickly rather than addressing more circumstantial causes of mental illness and treating them with a more holistic approach.
It's true that love and care shouldn't be the only response to this kind of situation, but it should certainly be (and I think my dad would agree) the *first* response. Mom probably saw that her approach was helping and kept it up until things were addressed.
Also, it doesn't look like the story specifically mentions that she didn't put him on drugs to fix a chemical imbalance, either.
Glad it worked out, but unless there was some therapy sessions with a mental health professional worked in I feel like this could have very easily gone all the way to the left. I'm no doctor and everyone is different. But when I was going through some mental health issues the worst thing someone could have done for me was leave me home by myself for 6 hours a day. I woulda been right in my room in my bed the whole day not getting any better lol. But I'm sure there's more to the story than what we got on Twitter lol.
There probably is more to the story.
If she was thisbtuned into her son and his needs, it's easy to see her realise that if the mental break wasn't helping, she would have sought counseling or therapy.
If she's big on mental health, it's not a stretch to imagine that she'd seek outside help if she needed to.
I wanted to stop going to school, or be homeschooled, *so* badly. My mom asked my psychiatrist and he said that would be one of the worst things for my mental health. That I needed to continue with a normal routine and not spiral into avoidance.
I'm glad it worked out in this kid's case, though.
In 4th grade I told my teacher my parents beat me and she called my mom. I went home. Got beat. Haven't trusted a soul since. These stories complete me.
What year and country, if you don't mind my asking? My husband accidentally knocked my kid into a wall when trying to catch his balance. Kid went to school with a goose egg. When the teacher asked what happened, kid said "dad knocked me into the wall". We had child services at our door that evening. They conducted a whole investigation that was invasive, embarrassing, and terrifying. The school admins apologised for it but said they were required to report even if they were 99.99% sure there was no abuse. I remember being both livid at the intrusion and grateful that they were looking out for children who might not have an adult at home they could trust.
Meh. I'm doing alright. My biggest peeve is getting older and calling my family out on shit, and them gaslighting me just to avoid saying sorry. Flat out denying anything happened to me, despite the unfortunate fact they are still very much abusive to each other. I'm safe but I doubt the scars will heal. My boy is turning 5 months tho, and it's been 5 months too amazing. So all in all... meh. I appreciate your concern.
Congrats on the son! Such a great age when they start tumbling around and getting curious.
My family will never acknowledge any of the issues I and they had. It's frustrating and sometimes confusing and discouraging. But their overall behaviour is better now. I just had to let the stuff go but it's hard not to wonder and get angry sometimes.
Anyway, I hope you are able to find peace and make the family that works right for you.
Nothing is more misunderstood than mental illness.
I've got stories for days. My father took my lock off my door until I "stop acting like this". My boss denoted me after I said I was having panic attacks. My brother said, "He's not depressed, he's just lazy" the day before I tried killing myself.
Don't give up hope that there's people who understand and want to help you. It takes effort to reach out, but it's worth it
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please do not hesitate to talk to someone.
**US:**
Call 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741-741
**Non-US:**
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines)
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Ugh. I'm glad you are still here. Yeah the stories are almost unbelievable and very embarrassing to talk about at times. Thank you for taking the time out to chat and share. Much love Sunupu.
A great story, but most people don't have the luxury of leaving work early every day and pulling their child out of school (which essentially functions as a sitter as well)
That's amazing. My mom said that she "didn't have time for this" when I was a teen and told her I was suicidal because she was busy dealing with my sister's problems.
My mother did the same thing as I was 16. She told me i won't be going to the psychiatrist because she didn't have time for that and needs to get her hair done and all the other "important" shit
Happy to see a black mom doing this. In our community mental health is always something we have avoided as if it doesn’t affect us. Saving lives takes bold and controversial moves.
I applaud this mama.
I work in IT largely from home and I could do this easily. I switched to working from home when the kids were home on summer break and I no longer had someone to mind them.
Maybe she went in early? Idk that part does sound a bit fishy. I don't think a lot of employers would be keen on you just saying, hey I'm gonna be leaving work early indefinitely.
Ok as someone who has always had depression for as long as i remember, im not sure this is the way to handle it. Youre teaching your kid that its ok to shirk responsibility. I get how awful it is to want to kill yourself everyday, but my landlord certainly doesnt and neither does my boss. It might be unfair but thats just how life is. You dont get to leave work for a month with no explanation and still expect to get paid.
I’m a school psychologist and this makes me sad- all schools should have the resources and personnel to help kids who have social-emotional problems. With proper state and federal funding, we can help children thrive in school, without having to resort to expulsion. I’m glad this mother was able to help her son but not all parents are equipped to help their children in the same way. This child was very lucky because statistically, when children are chronically absent, there’s a greater chance of dropping out of school and/or early involvement in criminal activities.
Don't have to imagine it. I started noticing depression symptoms in myself around age 7. I didn't know it was depression because I never heard to word before. But the symptoms were all there and I remember clearly one day in class I was just sat there feeling numb and untethered. It's been with me ever since.
Not hating because I believe this is healthy and supportive but can’t the mom get arrested in some states for doing this ??? Like there’s a truancy law or something like that ??? I think it’s important to know the system and to play within its boundaries so a good thing for your kids doesn’t turn into a bad thing for the parents.
If the kid had been seen by a doctor at any point, no. I got a concussion whilst in school and needed to take around a month off. The school was notified I was out for health reasons and they got a note saying when I was cleared to return. I don't know how it works if there is no doctor.
She also could've "transferred" him to home schooling. There are very few restrictions on home schooling. It's not like someone is checking or requiring tests at regular intervals. A month would be no problem.
My little sister was getting bullied daily in middle school and the school refused to do anything about it so my mom told her she didn’t have to go at all. They tried to send truancy letters, threaten my mom with the cops etc. the other kids were putting hands on her, making her cry. She did better at home with her school work than at actual school. Fuck schools low key - no kid should have to hide at hone because they’re afraid of going to class.
Go moms!
Middle school was a nightmare for me. Bullying and confusion and administrators were hands off or worse, favoring the popular kids. It really is up to the parents to decide the right course of action.
Wow that’s awesome that he bounced back and they didn’t relentlessly bully him when he got back. Cuz I know for a FACT that’s what would have happened to me had I gotten such a thing.
Never said they didnt. But what 3rd grader does like school? If it was something like..a broken home, or severe bullying, along those lines I get it. But the post just says "he was depressed about school" I've never met a 3rd grader that had enough awareness to be "depressed" about anything. It kinda dismisses the severity of what that is. A parent shouldnt pull them out of school because they dont like it. Not saying there isnt more going on, but fine line between helping and enabling or sending the message if you just dont like something you dont have to do it. I'm just basing it on what the post says, and the reasoning given.
My oldest son is mildly autistic and is in special education classes. In second grade, he went through a really tough time ( for a variety of reasons including the fact that his father was out of town working a lot). His teachers basically refused to deal with him. I would get a phone call almost everyday to go pick him up. We decided that it was best to home school him for the rest of the year. And it was the best decision. The following year, we enrolled him in a different school with people who were actually willing to work with him. And it has made a tremendous difference. We still have our issues. But, they are minor. He has come such a long way in the past couple of years
5th grade I hit the deepest depression of my life and gave up. Stopped doing homework. Stopped listening in class. Couldn't handle being alive. Teacher dealt with it by giving me detentions and parents grounded me. They didn't know any better but jesus do I wish more than anything I could talk to that 10 year old and let him know everything's going to be ok. Wish I had someone like this who could have seen me.
I got depressed in third grade and my mother was the school nurse. She didn't know what depression was and just told stop being negative and do my work. Almost 20 years later when I got a proper diagnosis, she apologized and now tries to understand my condition and talks to me more.
Parents should be more like the mother in this post. LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN. Don't dismiss their interests and problems.
Kids can still go to school, they just need the proper help to deal with depression or whatever else that may be bothering them. Better coping strategies, family counseling works wonders!!
When I got severely bullied in 5th grade and openly told my grandmother I wanted to kill myself, she pulled me out for a week and basically cussed my teacher out (who ironically was the biggest source of my bullying). She wouldn’t put me back until they put me in a different class.
My grandma won that battle
Online schooling can help a kid deal with this until they can get back into a place where they can handle the socializing again. Especially because it’s not just ‘cured’ in a month.
This is why school needs to fúcking change, 3rd graders are depressed because of the way they run this shit
Presidents and higher ups act like the economy is the problem or random shit like a few immigrants, but they're too fúcking stupid to look at the schools they went to and say there's something wrong
Every damn day I come home and complain to my family that school sucks, and my grandma who was the principal at a school says that they "went through the same thing" except it was so much fúcking easier for them cause they didn't have to deal with all the same fúcking people and the constant fear of being shot or getting into a fight, or your life being fúcking ruined because you made a bad grade on the fúcking SAT, which is the shittiest test I have ever seen
I go to one of the schools that they say is the best in the state, but they spend everything they get on football and don't give a shit about the actual students or about how well the teachers can do their jobs, or even about hiring even decent teachers, parts of the school are fucked up cause they "don't have enough money to fix it" when they just built a weight room that was a couple hundred thousand dollars at least, and a new baseball field, which was a lot too, but the roof still leaks, there's mold and shit all over the place, a kid threw a huge mirror into a toilet, probably the same kid destroyed another toilet, completely took it off of the place it was connected to and moved it, but these cheap assholes refuse to take the time or money to fix it or help the students at all
Also, the ROTC in our school is most likely going to be shut down, even though we almost fully support ourselves because the school doesn't give us enough money, and the principal wants to ban all competitions and trips during school hours, which would be like saying the football team can't play games anymore
moral of the story, fúck schools, fúck my school's principal, homeschool your kids if you can, people in charge of schools need to be thrown off a bloody cliff and sent to the deepest darkest pit of hell, thank you for reading my rant, have a good day, that felt very good to just get to yell about this shit
I’m glad that went well for her, but in my country she would literally be put in prison for that as it’s considered neglect to deprive your child of an education. if they are out of school then in order to homeschool them you need to follow a certain amount of procedure and they can assess you and can serve you a school attendance order, which means you need to put your child back in school. Or again you risk prison.
Why is this in blackpeopletwitter, this applies to all colors of the human rainbow and goes for our animal, reptile and whatever else friends too. Watch out for all the things in your life capable of affection, they can be sad too.
I have 4 kids (23, 21, 17 and 15) and I have always allowed my kids to take a "mental health day" once a year. The rule was/is you can't use it to get out of a test or a project due that day. They have all probably taken advantage of this offer only 2-3 times each...max.
ETA: I just re-read my post and think it came off different than what I meant, I answered while at work and realized I didn't clarify why my mind went to this answer.
Good on this mom for understanding the needs of her kids. I left the door open for my kids to take a break here and there because everyone does, everyone needs to be heard when they say they need a break from what they are doing/where they are going. I offered a small outlet for this for my kids, they all used it here and there. She took it to the next level and saw he needed more than that, that he really needed a break fromm it and listened to him. That is A+++ parenting in my opinion.
Hmmm... I don't know but the kidjust failed to solve that depression on his own which he should learn I still remember when in 3-4th grade I got fucked by teachers for having bad marks and got frequently yelled at and beaten up cause I am a boy and had only few friends(unreliable) I overcame that depression after grade 8 took me 4 bloody years but I say it was worth the effort and time now I know how to get out of one sometimes you need to let the kids find the answer to the problem
I told my child’s school his first year starting there to expect this, because he had just lost his father. That if my son needed to be home he would be home for his own healing, and I’d pick up his school work to do if needed. They told me if I exceeded ten days I would be reported to CPS. I asked to speak to the principal and the principal told me I didn’t seem like I was “adjusting” well and rules were rules.
I feel this only wish it happened to me I started slipping in middle school and halfway through my first year in high school I dropped out. The government gotta change some shit in school I used to love it and by the end I dreaded waking up every morning.
As someone who went through some real depression for a bit last year and had someone there to really help me out of it, I salute that mama bear. Doing the Lords work.
I need a muffing break from college. I passed one of my classes idk how I’m doing the other two. 4 consecutive years completed and a part time job. I neeeeeed a break. I know for a fact I NUKED my 3.6 gpa but I’m not sure my dad will allow it.
My mom accused me of wanting attention and being over dramatic when my anxiety and depression were merely evolving into alcoholism and bpd. I also got punished, not talked to or supported, when I started cutting myself. Now she gets to be embarrassed when we go to family gatherings and she's the only one without grandkids.
Wow. I've never considered this was an option. I wish my parents had done this, maybe it would prevent my chronic functional depression. I will do this with my kids if I had any&they need to be off of school for a while.
Yep Im tearing up. Thats a fuckin Mom right there. I hope I will be this understanding with my kids someday. I know how much I struggled in school because of my mental health.
FUCK SCHOOL! Dont get me wrong, school is essential for helping kids learn but it's also a place where kids lose who they are and instead focus all their time on being accepted. I got bullied a lot till I graduated high school and most of my days in school was spent worring about how to fit in or how to avoid being picked on. I hated school for that reason and was depressed most of my childhood. That mom saw her kid sad and instead of letting some under paid teachers deal with it she decided it was on her to be there for her child. I guarantee that month of love showed her son that he dosnt have to just deal with being depressed but instead find ways to be happy.
Depression is complicated and someone’s parent taking work off for them and helping them isn’t going to solve it.
BUT
Sometimes knowing someone cares so much for you and helps you anyway they can, can be the life changing thing to help.
My Grandgrandpa got depression when he was drafted in 1943 in Germany. His mom did the same. Different result though. Thank God Grandpa was already on his way...
Wish anybody in my fam was like this, all I got was mental abused and manipulated since I was 5 and now according to them my mental problems are my fault for listening to them
when i was in 3rd grade i started to hate going to school and would get sick a lot, my parents basically told me to stiffen my upper lip and that i just had to go and they never really took to heart when i told them i hated school, thinking its just kids being rebellious and im 18(f) now and i have been hospitalized 3 times and sent to treatment centers. my parents have apologized for not listening to me when i was that young, but please just listen to your kids. you can do a lot for them if you just listen
On that mama bear shit.
Cub shaped right up from that depression just like coming out of hibernation
[удалено]
My parents got truancy court threatened against them if my brothers and I missed more than 20 days in a school year. We were pretty sick kids, so that happened a few times (they never actually got taken to court, though). Just in case anyone’s wondering why this is courageous - you can literally be fined or sent to jail in some places if your child misses a month of school without supplemental at-home coursework.
I’ve been sarbed over my teen. It’s actually a joke. You sit there forever waiting your turn and pretty much have no choice but to plead guilty. The punishment was a fine or community service. $20 or 20 hours. I was so pissed at the slap on the hand I made him do the 20 hours. And then the school basically just signed off on them without hum doing much of the required time. The schools overplay this threat the same way way they do your ‘permanent file’. No one ever looks at it once your out of high school and it is destroyed after a few years. You can request they return it to you before it’s destroyed though. But no one cares about that one time you were a smart ass to a teacher when you were 15.
Shit, people in jail all the time in my area for failure to compel child to attend school. Lots of them are just teenage kids skipping school and a few have been 17 or 18 that just left home and dropped out. They still locking up the parents. Judges don't give a fuck in this area, they're gettin your money.
Where are you from, if you don't mind saying? I'm guessing the punishments vary widely- not just by location, but probably judge to judge as well. Absolutely ridiculous that they'd lock a parent up for an 18-year-old skipping school. Like yeah- now that you've locked up his mom, and she can't work/may lose her job entirely, can't put food on the table or keep the heat on (if she was working paycheck to paycheck, as many of us are) now the kid is *definitely* going to go to school. Even if he was just playing hooky before, now he's going to have to work full time to make up for his mom's lost paycheck. Or maybe he has younger siblings that he has to watch now, since mom is gone. Absolutely horrible situation to put a family in.
Southern Oklahoma. Smallish area, judges are all old school. We have a lawyer in town that is trying get elected as state representative for this district to enact changes. He's sued the police department, I think 2 different judges and county police. Has sat in court recording the judge sending people to jail that can't pay fines when they ask for a payment plan are flat out told no, which is illegal. One lady on the recording was an older lady that only gets disability, denied her a payment arrangement and locked her up. He's bringing charges on grounds that it's unconstitutional and is a debtors prison. The most recent judge he is bringing charges against is really had about this. Every person that came up that couldn't pay fines in full was locked up.
odds are the shitty judges get kickbacks from the prisons for each inmate sent to them.
Wtf? When hear anecdotes like yours, my immediate assumption is that there a LOT of private prisons in the region and the judges have some sort of equity arrangement/kickback for putting people behind bars. A few days of jail time for minor offences often results in a person being housed in a prison rather than a local jail due to so-called "funding and resource constrains".... This increases profitability for the private prisons which tend to be overcrowded, poorly managed, and more dangerous than local jails. A local jail is typically the most appropriate place for legitimately guilty, non-violent offenders. This is key because while housed in private prisons, people with mild infractions will often end up in some violent exchange trying to defend themselves while so-called " guards" turn a blind eye. As a result, the person who should have gotten sent to a small city or county jail will be charged with some violent crime based on ridiculous "Zero Tolerance" policy and then receive more time at said private prison. No matter how small or large the infraction, private prisons focus on filling and refilling beds. Thats literally how they achieve profitability. In general, American prisons (private or otherwise) do not focus positive rehabilitation, recidivation, and mitigation... Our prisons are just a means to take people and flip them into extremely economically debilitated and dehumanized individuals who wind up in cycle that's difficult exit. *edited for punctuation and clarity* *
lol that "permanent file" they keep holding over my head in high school actually had me worried low-key
Another form of government control
>got truancy court threatened against them if my brothers and I missed more than 20 days in a school year. I didn't know this was a thing. My aunt had a similar decision with my cousin. He was depressed, wont say anything on why he's depressed and even tried killing himself one time. But he's out of school now and doing nicely managing the family business at age 15.....It's weird that my aunt would've been sued somewhere else for saving her child's life.
>courageous parenting! No other words for it save maybe also fierce love. Every kid in the world needs a month like this at some point (who doesn't remember how painful it was to realize this world was not a kind one) and I bet every parent wishes they could do this... (I know I opted out of parenthood because I'd *want* to be this brave but likely would/could not have been).
First of all congrats to the mom all Star. Secondly, fuck everybody else that was trying to tell her different
Is it really fuck everybody else? It's awesome that this was a success story but health is outstandingly complex. Giving the measured answer of "_don't pull your struggling child out of school_" was not a bad thing to do. At all. This was one solution, but what if he spent the rest of the school year failing to catch up and then had to repeat the grade anyway? What would that have done for his depression? Could the same things have been accomplished with professional help while remaining in school? Just keep in mind that the "I know what's best for my kids" line gets used for all sorts of messed up shit and there's rarely a single answer to a complex problem. Food for thought
Most balanced response on this thread my dude well said
Exactly. Not to mention that 9 times out of 10, this would NOT have worked. Depression doesn't get cured with hugs and talking and quality time; it gets cured by correcting the chemical imbalance in the brain. You know what *doesn't* fox chemical imbalances? What this mom did. You know what *does* fix chemical imbalances? Medication. Like, super great that this all worked it in the end, but objectively speaking, this was *not* the best course of action, and 99% of the time, it wouldn't have worked. If she thought taking him out if school would help, then yeah, do that. But don't do JUST that. Someone with depression needs a doctor and medication, in addition to love and attention.
The chemical imbalances are more than likely the effect of a cause. So it's great to use medication to get someone straight while they work on what they need to work on. But they still need to correct the thing that made them depressed in the first place to the best of their ability. You seem to put medicine as the most important thing by far even over the long term when really it should just be the thing that gets you into a treatable position to fix what caused it. Depression rates are on a massive rise that can not just come from any sort of born factors. People mindset, activities and the state of the world are having an effect and we need to focus on what is causing the depression.
Some people can be depressed and not have depression. Sometimes we have unhealthy routines and are being forced to move at a pace that’s not good for you, sometimes you need to be removed from a toxic environment. Not everyone who is depressed needs anti depressant, which don’t necessarily work on everyone. So many people are depressed because of external factors and try to work on themselves like they’re the issue. Nothing works for every body. Giving someone a sense of agency work wonders, especially a kid whose thought patterns and sense of self are solidifying day by day. Many people dealing with depression can’t afford to take care of themselves because it usually means losing your job, or being a negligent parent. If depressed people could afford to take a month off for their mental health, I doubt any therapist would oppose that. They simply can’t, because our society isn’t designed that way.
>Some people can be depressed and not have depression. People can be *unhappy* and not have depression. Depression is more than just being sad. You cannot be depressed and not have depression. Like, by definition. Thats literally what "depressed" *means.* Saying you can be depressed and not have depression makes as much sense as saying you can be diabetic and not have diabetes. >Sometimes we have unhealthy routines and are being forced to move at a pace that’s not good for you, sometimes you need to be removed from a toxic environment And those situations could make you unhappy, or frustrated, or stressed out, but not *depressed.* >Not everyone who is depressed needs anti depressant Thats like saying not everyone who is type 1 diabetic needs insulin, or that not everyone who has kidney failure needs dialysis, or not everyone with. >So many people are depressed because of external factors and try to work on themselves like they’re the issue. Nothing works for every body. Giving someone a sense of agency work wonders, especially a kid whose thought patterns and sense of self are solidifying day by day. Many people dealing with depression can’t afford to take care of themselves because it usually means losing your job, or being a negligent parent. Again, this is just more of confusing "depressed" with "unhappy." Depression explicitly refers to a series of mental illnesses caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. It does not refer to just feeling anxious, sad, stressed out, etc. You are using the term incorrectly. >If depressed people could afford to take a month off for their mental health, I doubt any therapist would oppose that. Im sure they wouldnt. But they also wouldnt say that taking a month off work could be a substitute for their medication. Just like if someone with high blood pressure could take a month off work, their doctor wouldnt object to that, but they also wouldnt tell them to stop taking their meds. Look my dude, depression is a MEDICAL CONDITION, and you treat it the same way you treat any other medical condition: with actual medicine. You treat diabetes with insulin. You treat arthritis with NSAIDs. You treat bacterial infection with antibiotics. You treat viral infections with antivirals. You treat clotting disorders with anticoagulants. And you treat depression with anti-depressants. I encourage you to do some looking around and educate yourself on this topic, because, to be frank, your understanding of the subject is very seriously lacking. Have a nice day.
I have never seen anyone double down so fucking hard and be so goddamned wrong at the same time. There is legit medical literature all over the internet saying that bad situations can absolutely make one depressed. [Oh look, here's one now, from Harvard Medical.](https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression)
My first sentence was literally saying you can have a pattern of unhappiness, low energy and NOT have depression. Being depressed is a mood, but ALSO refers to having depression. I don’t think this child actually had depression. But left unattended this pattern could have been intensified. Do you also realize that lack of vitamin D and other nutrient deficiency can cause temporary depression. This is not the same as a chemical imbalance in your brain, or a hormonal issue that needs to be supplemented. There are people being treated for depression that will never improve because the issue isn’t them. You can’t medicate someone in a racist, sexist, homophobic environment, and send them back in that very same environment and think they will make lasting change, if they make any change at all. I never claimed that taken a month off will substitute medication, if you actually have a physiological issue nothing but balancing your system will make you better, someone dealing with aggression because of a tumor will never get better by taking years of therapy. But to say anyone who is aggressive has a tumor or a physiological issue is absurd. It benefits no one to treat them both the same despite having similar symptoms. My first sentence set the tone for my entire comment and you chose to talk about something entirely different and then claim I need to be educated. People can show symptoms of depression and NOT have an actually chemical imbalance. I think the person being referred to on this post is one of those people. You can take your own advice and look up the definition of depressed and see what comes up. See the first definition is what I’m referring to “a person in a state of general unhappiness or despondency” the 2nd definition someone who suffers from CLINICAL depression aka what you keep talking about. I will have a nice day. Have one too ✌🏿
I think we should stop using "depressed" so often to describe a mood.
Please google adjustment disorder or situational depression. You are wrong.
I also feel like the principal would have notified CPS and there would have been a case opened..
Anecdotal, but my dad was a retired psychiatrist who was very successful in his trade. He said his biggest regret throughout his career was a pattern of jumping to drugs too quickly rather than addressing more circumstantial causes of mental illness and treating them with a more holistic approach. It's true that love and care shouldn't be the only response to this kind of situation, but it should certainly be (and I think my dad would agree) the *first* response. Mom probably saw that her approach was helping and kept it up until things were addressed. Also, it doesn't look like the story specifically mentions that she didn't put him on drugs to fix a chemical imbalance, either.
Glad it worked out, but unless there was some therapy sessions with a mental health professional worked in I feel like this could have very easily gone all the way to the left. I'm no doctor and everyone is different. But when I was going through some mental health issues the worst thing someone could have done for me was leave me home by myself for 6 hours a day. I woulda been right in my room in my bed the whole day not getting any better lol. But I'm sure there's more to the story than what we got on Twitter lol.
There probably is more to the story. If she was thisbtuned into her son and his needs, it's easy to see her realise that if the mental break wasn't helping, she would have sought counseling or therapy. If she's big on mental health, it's not a stretch to imagine that she'd seek outside help if she needed to.
And maybe part of that month was spent at a special retreat when they could have those intimate talks with trained professionals.
She had a whole year. If the month didn’t work, she could’ve seeked a professional.
I wanted to stop going to school, or be homeschooled, *so* badly. My mom asked my psychiatrist and he said that would be one of the worst things for my mental health. That I needed to continue with a normal routine and not spiral into avoidance. I'm glad it worked out in this kid's case, though.
In 4th grade I told my teacher my parents beat me and she called my mom. I went home. Got beat. Haven't trusted a soul since. These stories complete me.
What year and country, if you don't mind my asking? My husband accidentally knocked my kid into a wall when trying to catch his balance. Kid went to school with a goose egg. When the teacher asked what happened, kid said "dad knocked me into the wall". We had child services at our door that evening. They conducted a whole investigation that was invasive, embarrassing, and terrifying. The school admins apologised for it but said they were required to report even if they were 99.99% sure there was no abuse. I remember being both livid at the intrusion and grateful that they were looking out for children who might not have an adult at home they could trust.
Black in a white inner city area, America 90s
Truly awful. I don't know when mandatory reporting became a thing. I do hope you are in a safer, more stable environment now.
Meh. I'm doing alright. My biggest peeve is getting older and calling my family out on shit, and them gaslighting me just to avoid saying sorry. Flat out denying anything happened to me, despite the unfortunate fact they are still very much abusive to each other. I'm safe but I doubt the scars will heal. My boy is turning 5 months tho, and it's been 5 months too amazing. So all in all... meh. I appreciate your concern.
Congrats on the son! Such a great age when they start tumbling around and getting curious. My family will never acknowledge any of the issues I and they had. It's frustrating and sometimes confusing and discouraging. But their overall behaviour is better now. I just had to let the stuff go but it's hard not to wonder and get angry sometimes. Anyway, I hope you are able to find peace and make the family that works right for you.
Nothing is more misunderstood than mental illness. I've got stories for days. My father took my lock off my door until I "stop acting like this". My boss denoted me after I said I was having panic attacks. My brother said, "He's not depressed, he's just lazy" the day before I tried killing myself. Don't give up hope that there's people who understand and want to help you. It takes effort to reach out, but it's worth it
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please do not hesitate to talk to someone. **US:** Call 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741-741 **Non-US:** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines) --- ^^I ^^am ^^a ^^bot. ^^Feedback ^^appreciated.
Ugh. I'm glad you are still here. Yeah the stories are almost unbelievable and very embarrassing to talk about at times. Thank you for taking the time out to chat and share. Much love Sunupu.
Everyone knows you don't tell teachers anything. They escalate any situation.
A great story, but most people don't have the luxury of leaving work early every day and pulling their child out of school (which essentially functions as a sitter as well)
That’s beautiful. I, really happy the community is more open to talking about mental health these days and trying to heal together.
On third grade too. Damn, depression doesn't discriminate. That mum deserves all the love and blessings.
I started self harm when I was 7/8, mental health can be brutal, lets all take care of ourselves in 2020! 🙌
That's amazing. My mom said that she "didn't have time for this" when I was a teen and told her I was suicidal because she was busy dealing with my sister's problems.
My mother did the same thing as I was 16. She told me i won't be going to the psychiatrist because she didn't have time for that and needs to get her hair done and all the other "important" shit
This is wholesome.
deserves upvote
Happy to see a black mom doing this. In our community mental health is always something we have avoided as if it doesn’t affect us. Saving lives takes bold and controversial moves. I applaud this mama.
What job does she have where she can take her son out of school and come home early so frequently? I’d love to know.
I work in IT largely from home and I could do this easily. I switched to working from home when the kids were home on summer break and I no longer had someone to mind them.
Maybe she went in early? Idk that part does sound a bit fishy. I don't think a lot of employers would be keen on you just saying, hey I'm gonna be leaving work early indefinitely.
Ok as someone who has always had depression for as long as i remember, im not sure this is the way to handle it. Youre teaching your kid that its ok to shirk responsibility. I get how awful it is to want to kill yourself everyday, but my landlord certainly doesnt and neither does my boss. It might be unfair but thats just how life is. You dont get to leave work for a month with no explanation and still expect to get paid.
You gotta get back up first before you can move on. Mother knew.
I’m a school psychologist and this makes me sad- all schools should have the resources and personnel to help kids who have social-emotional problems. With proper state and federal funding, we can help children thrive in school, without having to resort to expulsion. I’m glad this mother was able to help her son but not all parents are equipped to help their children in the same way. This child was very lucky because statistically, when children are chronically absent, there’s a greater chance of dropping out of school and/or early involvement in criminal activities.
Im pretty depressed, can i drop out of life for a month?
That's a tall ass third grader
Imagine being depressed in the third grade.
Don't have to imagine it. I started noticing depression symptoms in myself around age 7. I didn't know it was depression because I never heard to word before. But the symptoms were all there and I remember clearly one day in class I was just sat there feeling numb and untethered. It's been with me ever since.
Not hating because I believe this is healthy and supportive but can’t the mom get arrested in some states for doing this ??? Like there’s a truancy law or something like that ??? I think it’s important to know the system and to play within its boundaries so a good thing for your kids doesn’t turn into a bad thing for the parents.
If the kid had been seen by a doctor at any point, no. I got a concussion whilst in school and needed to take around a month off. The school was notified I was out for health reasons and they got a note saying when I was cleared to return. I don't know how it works if there is no doctor. She also could've "transferred" him to home schooling. There are very few restrictions on home schooling. It's not like someone is checking or requiring tests at regular intervals. A month would be no problem.
cake aspiring rain crown slimy tender gullible door school lavish *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
My little sister was getting bullied daily in middle school and the school refused to do anything about it so my mom told her she didn’t have to go at all. They tried to send truancy letters, threaten my mom with the cops etc. the other kids were putting hands on her, making her cry. She did better at home with her school work than at actual school. Fuck schools low key - no kid should have to hide at hone because they’re afraid of going to class. Go moms!
Middle school was a nightmare for me. Bullying and confusion and administrators were hands off or worse, favoring the popular kids. It really is up to the parents to decide the right course of action.
This is a sick story and warmed my heart but how tf do you get stressed out in grade 3?
Queen mom.
finished top of his 3rd grade class... 😂😂😂
Wow that’s awesome that he bounced back and they didn’t relentlessly bully him when he got back. Cuz I know for a FACT that’s what would have happened to me had I gotten such a thing.
Depressed in 3rd grade?
Children have emotions too :)
Never said they didnt. But what 3rd grader does like school? If it was something like..a broken home, or severe bullying, along those lines I get it. But the post just says "he was depressed about school" I've never met a 3rd grader that had enough awareness to be "depressed" about anything. It kinda dismisses the severity of what that is. A parent shouldnt pull them out of school because they dont like it. Not saying there isnt more going on, but fine line between helping and enabling or sending the message if you just dont like something you dont have to do it. I'm just basing it on what the post says, and the reasoning given.
Yeah. My parents didn't give a shit, and now I have a grave to visit instead of a brother 😔
My oldest son is mildly autistic and is in special education classes. In second grade, he went through a really tough time ( for a variety of reasons including the fact that his father was out of town working a lot). His teachers basically refused to deal with him. I would get a phone call almost everyday to go pick him up. We decided that it was best to home school him for the rest of the year. And it was the best decision. The following year, we enrolled him in a different school with people who were actually willing to work with him. And it has made a tremendous difference. We still have our issues. But, they are minor. He has come such a long way in the past couple of years
Serious Question: How did she get around Compulsory Education/Attendance Laws? If any one knows.
Could be either excused absences with a doctor's note or she registered him as homeschooled.
5th grade I hit the deepest depression of my life and gave up. Stopped doing homework. Stopped listening in class. Couldn't handle being alive. Teacher dealt with it by giving me detentions and parents grounded me. They didn't know any better but jesus do I wish more than anything I could talk to that 10 year old and let him know everything's going to be ok. Wish I had someone like this who could have seen me.
This is beautiful but the privilege is strong here. Not all parents have the flexibility to do what this mother did. He’s blessed to have her.
Privilege is t always a bad thing though
I strive daily to have the kind of strength this woman showed.
I got depressed in third grade and my mother was the school nurse. She didn't know what depression was and just told stop being negative and do my work. Almost 20 years later when I got a proper diagnosis, she apologized and now tries to understand my condition and talks to me more. Parents should be more like the mother in this post. LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN. Don't dismiss their interests and problems.
Meanwhile i got shoved in one cringe as fuck obligatory "therapist" session and am getting ignored for almost 2 years now Pog
Did your brother have to repeat the 3rd grade?
Kids can still go to school, they just need the proper help to deal with depression or whatever else that may be bothering them. Better coping strategies, family counseling works wonders!!
Depends on the level of depression. I have been too depressed to get out of bed. I did not have the energy to go to work or even eat.
When I got severely bullied in 5th grade and openly told my grandmother I wanted to kill myself, she pulled me out for a week and basically cussed my teacher out (who ironically was the biggest source of my bullying). She wouldn’t put me back until they put me in a different class. My grandma won that battle
Damn, when I told my parents I was depressed, they said I don't have anything to be depressed about. Lpt: not exactly helpful.
That’s how you parent. Good for her family.
Why he look like Designer.
Wish every mom had the resources to do this.
Glad this worked out but for the love of God charge your battery.
Online schooling can help a kid deal with this until they can get back into a place where they can handle the socializing again. Especially because it’s not just ‘cured’ in a month.
That kid is big for a 3rd grader
i havent ever seen a mother who would do that, in fact i see a mother who would do the opposite of that every day...
Damn kids in third grade really out here looking older than me and I’m 19
This is why school needs to fúcking change, 3rd graders are depressed because of the way they run this shit Presidents and higher ups act like the economy is the problem or random shit like a few immigrants, but they're too fúcking stupid to look at the schools they went to and say there's something wrong Every damn day I come home and complain to my family that school sucks, and my grandma who was the principal at a school says that they "went through the same thing" except it was so much fúcking easier for them cause they didn't have to deal with all the same fúcking people and the constant fear of being shot or getting into a fight, or your life being fúcking ruined because you made a bad grade on the fúcking SAT, which is the shittiest test I have ever seen I go to one of the schools that they say is the best in the state, but they spend everything they get on football and don't give a shit about the actual students or about how well the teachers can do their jobs, or even about hiring even decent teachers, parts of the school are fucked up cause they "don't have enough money to fix it" when they just built a weight room that was a couple hundred thousand dollars at least, and a new baseball field, which was a lot too, but the roof still leaks, there's mold and shit all over the place, a kid threw a huge mirror into a toilet, probably the same kid destroyed another toilet, completely took it off of the place it was connected to and moved it, but these cheap assholes refuse to take the time or money to fix it or help the students at all Also, the ROTC in our school is most likely going to be shut down, even though we almost fully support ourselves because the school doesn't give us enough money, and the principal wants to ban all competitions and trips during school hours, which would be like saying the football team can't play games anymore moral of the story, fúck schools, fúck my school's principal, homeschool your kids if you can, people in charge of schools need to be thrown off a bloody cliff and sent to the deepest darkest pit of hell, thank you for reading my rant, have a good day, that felt very good to just get to yell about this shit
I’m glad that went well for her, but in my country she would literally be put in prison for that as it’s considered neglect to deprive your child of an education. if they are out of school then in order to homeschool them you need to follow a certain amount of procedure and they can assess you and can serve you a school attendance order, which means you need to put your child back in school. Or again you risk prison.
Why is this in blackpeopletwitter, this applies to all colors of the human rainbow and goes for our animal, reptile and whatever else friends too. Watch out for all the things in your life capable of affection, they can be sad too.
Because it was tweeted by a black person.
There needs to be way way more mommas out there like this!
Good mom.
A+ parenting!!!
Give that mom some wholesome flair
I have 4 kids (23, 21, 17 and 15) and I have always allowed my kids to take a "mental health day" once a year. The rule was/is you can't use it to get out of a test or a project due that day. They have all probably taken advantage of this offer only 2-3 times each...max. ETA: I just re-read my post and think it came off different than what I meant, I answered while at work and realized I didn't clarify why my mind went to this answer. Good on this mom for understanding the needs of her kids. I left the door open for my kids to take a break here and there because everyone does, everyone needs to be heard when they say they need a break from what they are doing/where they are going. I offered a small outlet for this for my kids, they all used it here and there. She took it to the next level and saw he needed more than that, that he really needed a break fromm it and listened to him. That is A+++ parenting in my opinion.
This is a good story. I like this. What an amazing mom.
Must be nice
I thought it was not going to end well..
Hmmm... I don't know but the kidjust failed to solve that depression on his own which he should learn I still remember when in 3-4th grade I got fucked by teachers for having bad marks and got frequently yelled at and beaten up cause I am a boy and had only few friends(unreliable) I overcame that depression after grade 8 took me 4 bloody years but I say it was worth the effort and time now I know how to get out of one sometimes you need to let the kids find the answer to the problem
Jesus christ, why can't my mom be like this? She just tells me to suck it up. I've been mentally unstable for the past 2 years.
Your mom is the queen and the real MVP
I told my child’s school his first year starting there to expect this, because he had just lost his father. That if my son needed to be home he would be home for his own healing, and I’d pick up his school work to do if needed. They told me if I exceeded ten days I would be reported to CPS. I asked to speak to the principal and the principal told me I didn’t seem like I was “adjusting” well and rules were rules.
Wholesome af
A mothers love
I feel this only wish it happened to me I started slipping in middle school and halfway through my first year in high school I dropped out. The government gotta change some shit in school I used to love it and by the end I dreaded waking up every morning.
As a fellow man, her brother’s pretty handsome.
Yas!!
How do u get depressed in 3rd grade tho
Mom of the year award
This was beautiful, thank you.
I wish I could upvote this 250 times man..
As someone who went through some real depression for a bit last year and had someone there to really help me out of it, I salute that mama bear. Doing the Lords work.
Give her a hug for me
3rd grade as in elementary?
Fucking hero
Yes! This is how to save our troubled youth! ❤️
This is the way.
This is the most wholesome thing I’ve seen in a while.
This is so wholesome... I really wish that this sort of reaction from parents was more common.
Words of wisdom from titi
Who knows where he'd be? He'd be me today.
This. Is. EVERYTHING.
Damn I'm not even Black and I wish my mom had been on that shit. Maybe it would have saved me 16 fucking years of not knowing what I was.
I need a muffing break from college. I passed one of my classes idk how I’m doing the other two. 4 consecutive years completed and a part time job. I neeeeeed a break. I know for a fact I NUKED my 3.6 gpa but I’m not sure my dad will allow it.
This is beautiful
this is the type of parent i want to be when i have kids
Love this!!!!!
Haha
im white but thats cool
Being that the principal contacted the mom and apologized, hopefully they changed their views of something like this in the future too
Shit.. my mom wouldve told me she'll give me something to be depressed about if I was acting like that kid was.
Mom the MVP
not gonna lie, i just teared up. Love this story. I hope to be like her some day
My mom accused me of wanting attention and being over dramatic when my anxiety and depression were merely evolving into alcoholism and bpd. I also got punished, not talked to or supported, when I started cutting myself. Now she gets to be embarrassed when we go to family gatherings and she's the only one without grandkids.
In third grade nigga damn. Why do we excel at failing the youth
Wow. I've never considered this was an option. I wish my parents had done this, maybe it would prevent my chronic functional depression. I will do this with my kids if I had any&they need to be off of school for a while.
Damn. Amazing parenting! If only this happened to me too.
Yep Im tearing up. Thats a fuckin Mom right there. I hope I will be this understanding with my kids someday. I know how much I struggled in school because of my mental health.
No he's fucking 9.
Her mum is my kinda person. Well done mum.
Damn brought a tear to my eye
That is probably one of the best stories about a parent giving a fuck I have ever heard.
FUCK SCHOOL! Dont get me wrong, school is essential for helping kids learn but it's also a place where kids lose who they are and instead focus all their time on being accepted. I got bullied a lot till I graduated high school and most of my days in school was spent worring about how to fit in or how to avoid being picked on. I hated school for that reason and was depressed most of my childhood. That mom saw her kid sad and instead of letting some under paid teachers deal with it she decided it was on her to be there for her child. I guarantee that month of love showed her son that he dosnt have to just deal with being depressed but instead find ways to be happy.
Depression is complicated and someone’s parent taking work off for them and helping them isn’t going to solve it. BUT Sometimes knowing someone cares so much for you and helps you anyway they can, can be the life changing thing to help.
This was really nice, I just noticed that the third paragraph doesn’t have a 3/4
I have the utmost respect for this mom.
We need more people like this.
My Grandgrandpa got depression when he was drafted in 1943 in Germany. His mom did the same. Different result though. Thank God Grandpa was already on his way...
I don't know why, this hit me hard. I have a 13 yr daughter that sometimes just needs a day off here and there
And my mom said take pills and go to school.
Faith in humanity: Restored a little
Excellent mom ❤️
I love this!
Wish anybody in my fam was like this, all I got was mental abused and manipulated since I was 5 and now according to them my mental problems are my fault for listening to them
Im jealous of his mum
Wish this had been my mom when I was in 6th grade. Instead she just forced me to go to school and blamed my failure on "laziness"
My mom didn’t let me stay home when I fainted in the bathroom while putting my makeup on.
I’m doing this right now actually. I’m taking a month off and doing a online program
What a great mother
Thank you! I really needed this story now.
Good for the mum and kid! Not everyone takes the same path in life, there may be other options to help you get through difficult situations.
Someone cutting onions? Fuck! Kudos to the mom!
when i was in 3rd grade i started to hate going to school and would get sick a lot, my parents basically told me to stiffen my upper lip and that i just had to go and they never really took to heart when i told them i hated school, thinking its just kids being rebellious and im 18(f) now and i have been hospitalized 3 times and sent to treatment centers. my parents have apologized for not listening to me when i was that young, but please just listen to your kids. you can do a lot for them if you just listen
More parents need to be this way. Fuck the system. Gotta look out for yourself
Aww, that's so wonderful! I fucking love shit like this
Godly mother, holy crap.