Tough Talks: What to Say to Your Kids About Suicide

Chances are suicide has touched your life in some way. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the US. It’s not something that just affects adults. Among students in grades 9-12, 17% of students seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months.

Whether you lost someone to suicide, know of someone who has, or have watched the news as your favorite stars have taken their own lives. Suicide is a tough subject to talk about, especially with your kids. Many parents come to me and ask me how to talk to kids about suicide without confusing them or giving them more information than they are really equipped to process.

Last week I shared my tips about talking with kids about suicide on Today Parents. In this guide, I gave age by age guidelines and dialogs for talking to kids from toddlers to teens.

Many parents may want to avoid the conversation completely for fear of discussing something that they feel their kids can’t handle. The truth is, kids deserve the truth and should get an honest answer if they have a question about suicide.

I wanted to invite you to read my article at Today Parents, so you are prepared to talk to your kids about suicide when the conversation occurs. Please leave me a comment with your thoughts and suggestions and share this article with everyone you know.