Lizzie,

I have a close relative that has attempted suicide twice. It is so hard. We are getting treatment for him/her and is on medication but the last attempt was to take all the medication at once. When admitted to the hospital the insurance only covered 7 days and he/she was released before the immediate crisis mode was over. Even when you see it coming and are trying to help there is only so much you can do. My relative is only 17 and unless you can lock them up and keep an eye on them 24/7 there is always the chance that next time they will succeed. Sometimes seeing all the signs cannot prevent a suicide. All we can do is open up the communications and support the parents and be understanding and not place blame. When the attempt is made they are not in sound mind. When the attempt fails and they recover they are so glad they did not follow thru. But the next crisis is always around the corner

I am from Cape Cod and absolutely love the beach, ocean, sand, wind, even the smell of low tide. You must use common sense and respect the weather conditions. If the wind is blowing out away from shore do not go out on a raft. If the tide is comming in do not stay far out on a sandbar as you can find yourself surrounded by deep water very quickly.

 

James, I agree that eventually a new story will take over, but with MJ, there are so many loose ends to be resolved. I am upset that so many doctors are being questioned and possibly prosecuted but I am a firm believer that people make their own life style choices. For MJ to fast for weeks at a time and still take that many drugs with no food in his stomach is suicide not murder. The only Dr. who should be disiplined is the one who gave the anethesia med which is a huge mistake. The only good thing about the media coverage is it brings to light how prevalent drug abuse is. There are so many people who Dr. shop and pharmacy shop that to prosecute over a celebrity and not the general public for the same offenses is wrong.

I have a habit of speaking 1st and thinking second which leads to many embarassing moments but one of the worst was a medical convention and I was talking to a large group of professionals and we were all starved and dinner was late. Everyone was complaining that they should have eaten 1st and I looked around and there was a huge man standing across from me named Mike and I said "I’m so hungry I could eat Mike"

Mike got a huge smile on his face and said "Let’s go!" I’ve never lived that one down.

Lauriate: At 21 I knew I wanted a career that would enable me to be independent and not have to depend on needing anyone having to support me ever. By 26 I had achieved that goal and when I married at 28, my husband and I were both successful and together decided to start a family 2 years later. I was able to work full time and raise my children without daycare or family in the area. My husband and I were able to coordinate our schedules and I did have a babysitter with children the same age as mine for the 1st 8 years. They loved her and I was able to pay her whether I needed her or not just to have the consistency and peace of mind.

All I am saying is that it is possible to be a full time mom and work a full time job at the same time. My husband was laid off after 9/11 and it took him 3 years to find another job. While he was Mr. Mom, he coached my sons soccer team and went on my children’s field trips at their schools. I was able to keep us afloat as we never lived beyond our means and he was able to wait for the right job to come along. Many of our friends in the same boat whose wives were stay at home were forced to sell their homes and change their lives dramatically. Many marriages ended in divorce due to the stress.

There are always choices to be made when raising a family and with careful planning and a lot of juggling, a mom can work full time and be a full time parent at the same time but it involves 2 parents 50/50 to make it work. My husband definately stepped up to the plate to be there when I could not.