Suicide is a reality that no one wants to face. But we need to. Even if our own kids never struggle with mental illness, even if they never consider ending their own life, they know someone who has or who will. We need to be prepared, and we need to prepare our kids.

One thing I learned in my sobering conversation with Emma Benoit, a suicide survivor, and Jennifer Ellers, a Christian Counselor and instructor on teen suicide, it is that we need to be engaged with our kids’ mental health. We need to discuss more than how their day went and how they did on their math test. We need to talk about feelings. And we need to ask one question—point blank. That is:

“Have you ever considered ending your life?”

Emma offered a shocking revelation in our conversation. She said,

“I think that if someone would have asked me, ‘Are you having thoughts of suicide?’[or] ‘Have you ever had a thought of harming yourself?’ that I would have certainly opened up about it… It would have made it ten times more real, and it would have prevented me from making the decision.”

To hear the first part of my conversation with Emma and Jennifer where we discuss:

• The explosion of suicides occurring in very young children,
• The signs we should look for in kids under the age of twelve,
• Emma’s journey leading up to the day that she attempted to end her life,

Tune into episode 49.

To hear the riveting conclusion of our conversation in episode 50, which picks up just after Emma pulled the trigger, click on the image below. This discussion focusses on:

• The spiritual, mental, and physical aspects of suicide,
• The signs we should look for in older children,
• Specific steps we can take to prevent suicide, and
• Emma’s recovery.

Or you can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Resources and Sites Mentioned:

OTHER EPISODES IN THIS SERIES:

Episode 49 – “How Do We Combat the Epidemic of Teen Suicide? Emma Benoit Interview (Part One)”

Suicide prevention hotline: call or text 988. (This 3-digit code, launched in July of 2022, will connect you to the national suicide hotline.)

 “My Ascension” the documentary.

Emma Benoit/My Ascension Facebook group.

American Association of Christian Counselors website.