My 6-year old saw a woman trying to commit suicide. Now he has questions. Help?!
Question: My 6-year old saw a woman trying to commit suicide!. Now he has questions!. Help!?
I not sure if this is the right section for posting this; I apologize if it isn't!.
Yesterday, my sons and I were at a bus stop!. Suddenly, firetrucks, ambulances and police cars surrounded the building we stood in front of!. I looked up, and there was a woman hanging out of the 8th floor window, ready to jump!.
We rushed down the street, because if she jumped, we would have seen her fall!. The entire street was full of commotion; there were even some jerks, cheering her on to "Jump! Do it!"!.
My son is full of questions about the whole scene: Why would people cheer!? What would cause her to do this!? How are they going to help her!? etc!.!.!.
With kids, they will keep asking questions until they are satisfied with the answer, and I can't find the answers for him!.
Any advice on what to say, about why people are so cruel, how the mentally ill get help, and suicide in general!? Age appropriate, of course!.
**I do not know if she actually jumped or not!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Yesterday, my sons and I were at a bus stop!. Suddenly, firetrucks, ambulances and police cars surrounded the building we stood in front of!. I looked up, and there was a woman hanging out of the 8th floor window, ready to jump!.
We rushed down the street, because if she jumped, we would have seen her fall!. The entire street was full of commotion; there were even some jerks, cheering her on to "Jump! Do it!"!.
My son is full of questions about the whole scene: Why would people cheer!? What would cause her to do this!? How are they going to help her!? etc!.!.!.
With kids, they will keep asking questions until they are satisfied with the answer, and I can't find the answers for him!.
Any advice on what to say, about why people are so cruel, how the mentally ill get help, and suicide in general!? Age appropriate, of course!.
**I do not know if she actually jumped or not!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
she did not jump, she was talked down!.
you know just be up front with him!. usally people are cruel be cause they are unhappy with their own life, the mentally ill get help by crying out(usally) or asking for it!. most suicide attempts are a dangerous cry for help!. if you try to dumb it down or soften it for him, he may either not be happy & keep asking, or have an illogical idea of what it means to be depressed & suicidal!.
you know perhaps you should ask a mental healh professional, so many people on here are making refrence to a sickness or unhappieness, a sickness denotes something perhaps contagious & not being happy is too simple to describe depression!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
you know just be up front with him!. usally people are cruel be cause they are unhappy with their own life, the mentally ill get help by crying out(usally) or asking for it!. most suicide attempts are a dangerous cry for help!. if you try to dumb it down or soften it for him, he may either not be happy & keep asking, or have an illogical idea of what it means to be depressed & suicidal!.
you know perhaps you should ask a mental healh professional, so many people on here are making refrence to a sickness or unhappieness, a sickness denotes something perhaps contagious & not being happy is too simple to describe depression!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
say that the woman was very upset and the police, fire fighters and paramedics have talked to her and made her feel happy and that they might have taken her to hospital to give her some medicine to make her feel happy to!. and tell him that not everybody is a good person and that the people that were cheering were bad people and then tell him that whenever anybody is upset then they can always find someone that will listen to them!.
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xWww@Answer-Health@Com
Wow!. Tough one!. I would tell my son that the woman is sick and that the guys were cheering because they're bad guys!. I would tell him that the woman is fine now (true, even if the poor woman did jump)!. I would also say a prayer with him asking God to make the woman all better!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Horrible story, but I'm so relieved you were able to get out of there in time for your son (& you!) to not see the outcome!.
You've gotten some great advice here that I can't add much to, but I agree about being 100% honest about the situation!.
ttylWww@Answer-Health@Com
You've gotten some great advice here that I can't add much to, but I agree about being 100% honest about the situation!.
ttylWww@Answer-Health@Com
Whatever you say , make sure it is honest and truthful, you dont want him believing anything else other than the truth, it will only cause problems later in lifeWww@Answer-Health@Com
I assume from the way your question reads, that he's aware that she was going to kill herself!. He should have never been told that's what she was doing!. You could have made up a story of some sort like she was crazy and thought she could fly, or something!. But that is in the past!.!.!.!.
Talk about how people get upset (use an example of when he has been upset and had an emotional breakdown!.!.!.and couldn't control his behavior) and do unsafe/unhealthy things because they let thier feelings get in the way of making good decisions!. Talk about feelings and how important it is to communicate and talk about things so that you understand eachother, and never feel like you alone in the world!.
Assure him that she had lots of people around who were gonna keep her safe and tell him she is OK!. (no matter what the true result was)!.
This is a case where lying is OK, and strongly encouraged!. There is no good reason for a 6y/o to know of such negative things!. I highly doubt that when he grows up he'll be upset that you lied to him about a woman jumping out of a window!.
about the cheering!.!.!.!.!. tell him that those people were sick too
Oh a good lie would be that they were shooting some movie or TV show or something!.!.!. she was a stunt person!.!.!.!. IDK just trying to give you some "kid safe" options!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Talk about how people get upset (use an example of when he has been upset and had an emotional breakdown!.!.!.and couldn't control his behavior) and do unsafe/unhealthy things because they let thier feelings get in the way of making good decisions!. Talk about feelings and how important it is to communicate and talk about things so that you understand eachother, and never feel like you alone in the world!.
Assure him that she had lots of people around who were gonna keep her safe and tell him she is OK!. (no matter what the true result was)!.
This is a case where lying is OK, and strongly encouraged!. There is no good reason for a 6y/o to know of such negative things!. I highly doubt that when he grows up he'll be upset that you lied to him about a woman jumping out of a window!.
about the cheering!.!.!.!.!. tell him that those people were sick too
Oh a good lie would be that they were shooting some movie or TV show or something!.!.!. she was a stunt person!.!.!.!. IDK just trying to give you some "kid safe" options!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I would just be perfectly honest with them!. Tell them she must've been having some serious problems in her life and she felt that the was only way out (then go on to explain that suicide is never the answer)!. Tell them now that she is safe (even if you don't know she is, I would just tell them she's safe now) that she can get the help she needs from a doctor!. As for the jerks, again, be honest!. Tell them there are some mean people in the world!. You aren't lying and they probably already know this (being teased at school, etc!.) If they ask you something you don't know the answer to, just tell them that!. Kids today are more aware than you think, even at 6!. I think the more honest you are with them, the more they'll feel comfortable coming to you with other problems or questions they have later in life!. Good luck, this is a tough situation!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Maybe explain to him that she was very sick and sometimes people being sick they don't think right!. If he does understand that she was trying to kill herself that she thought that will make her feel better!.!.!.!.even though it really wouldn't!. If he didn't understand that she was trying to kill herself maybe just mention that being sick she thought she would be OK doing it and not get hurt(which really isnt a lie!.!.!.!.in the suicidal mindset you ARE thinking it will end the pain)!. !.!.!.!.!.and either way, a 6 year old would undersand that she would get hurt so would understand that her logic was wrong!. And the people cheering are just very very mean people!.
I definitely wouldn't say something along the lines that she was trying to get to heaven because that would just instill the idea that OK if things are too tough, do that, go to heaven and its all better!. You don't want to associate the thought pathway because that is putting suicide as an way out before kids usually even fully grasp the concept death and the finality and seriousness of it!. That's the last thing you want to do!.
Only lie i would sugest telling him is that the police and firemen helped her and took her to the hospital so she could get better!.!.!.!.!.!.which really isnt a lie!.!.!.!.!.as long as she didnt manage to jump that is what happened!.!.!.!.!.!.you just dont know definitly though!.
As far as how they help her at the hospital that they just talk to her and find out what is wrong in her brain that makes her not think right and give her medicine to help fix it!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I definitely wouldn't say something along the lines that she was trying to get to heaven because that would just instill the idea that OK if things are too tough, do that, go to heaven and its all better!. You don't want to associate the thought pathway because that is putting suicide as an way out before kids usually even fully grasp the concept death and the finality and seriousness of it!. That's the last thing you want to do!.
Only lie i would sugest telling him is that the police and firemen helped her and took her to the hospital so she could get better!.!.!.!.!.!.which really isnt a lie!.!.!.!.!.as long as she didnt manage to jump that is what happened!.!.!.!.!.!.you just dont know definitly though!.
As far as how they help her at the hospital that they just talk to her and find out what is wrong in her brain that makes her not think right and give her medicine to help fix it!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
just say that the lady wasnt very happy with herself and wanted to go to heaven or something like thatWww@Answer-Health@Com