Apologies GalBally. I was about to post this but saw your post first.
What is going on?
FOXNEWS.COM HOME > U.S.
Second-Grader Commits Suicide in New Jersey
Friday, October 26, 2007
VINELAND, N.J. — Police said a second-grader killed himself in a bedroom of his family's Vineland home on Wednesday.
Authorities haven't released the name of the seven-year-old boy or that of his family.
According to The Daily Journal of Vineland, the boy hanged himself.
Click here to read the full story at The Daily Journal.com
Police said several family members were at home when he died.
They found his body after he didn't answer a call to dinner.
Grief counselors were at the boy's school.
Cumberland County Prosecutor Ron Casella told The Press of Atlantic City that his office doesn't usually talk about suicides.
But Casella said want to counter any concerns that the boy's death was a homicide or the result of child abuse.
What Have We Come To Indeed!
What Have We Come To Indeed!
A seven year old? Frightening. 
"We are never so happy, never so unhappy, as we imagine"
Le Rochefoucauld.
"A smack in the face settles all arguments, then you can move on kid."
My dad 1986.
Le Rochefoucauld.
"A smack in the face settles all arguments, then you can move on kid."
My dad 1986.
-
RedGlitter
- Posts: 15777
- Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 3:51 am
What Have We Come To Indeed!
There must be something more going on. I am thinking there might have been pressure either applied to him or even just assumed by him and I would not be surprised if it might have had to do with that "gifted" label. I used to be in those classes around the same age and I recall them well. They were not always user-friendly or supportive in the way children need. That's just my best guess. I wonder how useful those letters home will be. I realize we're talking about young children here but this is not an ordinary death and parents should be made aware of how it happened so when their kids hear talk, and they will; they'll get helpful answers instead of platitudes. This is just sad all the way around.
-
Kathy Ellen
- Posts: 10569
- Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 4:04 pm
What Have We Come To Indeed!
This is so tragic. Do you think this could have been an accident that happened because the child was not supervised by adults.
Honestly, I know that young children can be depressed, and do try to hurt themselves, but I teach 8 year olds and haven't met one who contemplated suicide. I think children see and hear too much, and then they try to imitate some action. This child may have been unsupervised, put a rope around his neck, and had a fatal accident.
So tragic...you can't take your eyes off your children for a second.
Honestly, I know that young children can be depressed, and do try to hurt themselves, but I teach 8 year olds and haven't met one who contemplated suicide. I think children see and hear too much, and then they try to imitate some action. This child may have been unsupervised, put a rope around his neck, and had a fatal accident.
So tragic...you can't take your eyes off your children for a second.
What Have We Come To Indeed!
Kathy Ellen;713321 wrote: This is so tragic. Do you think this could have been an accident that happened because the child was not supervised by adults.
Honestly, I know that young children can be depressed, and do try to hurt themselves, but I teach 8 year olds and haven't met one who contemplated suicide. I think children see and hear too much, and then they try to imitate some action. This child may have been unsupervised, put a rope around his neck, and had a fatal accident.
So tragic...you can't take your eyes off your children for a second.
Very good point, Kathy.
With Halloween just around the corner, perhaps it was an accident.
He might have been playing.
Honestly, I know that young children can be depressed, and do try to hurt themselves, but I teach 8 year olds and haven't met one who contemplated suicide. I think children see and hear too much, and then they try to imitate some action. This child may have been unsupervised, put a rope around his neck, and had a fatal accident.
So tragic...you can't take your eyes off your children for a second.
Very good point, Kathy.
With Halloween just around the corner, perhaps it was an accident.
He might have been playing.
What Have We Come To Indeed!
This is the third downer thread put here on FG and I'm wondering what gives? Why are so many suffering? Well I can't figure it out. Second graders shouldn't have an inkling of an idea about death in my book. Impressions can lay heavy on one of those little people though. Probably thought he was a character out of the Incredibles or something. Maybe from a video game. You know age 7/8 is about the time when children learn the difference between what's real and fantasy/pretend. Next time you see a kid about that age remember to do something positively karmic, like smile at the parental unit or something. Offer aknowledgement of the bind they are in having kids and all. It's not easy. Adults/parents are pretty stupid in all actuality. Don't you agree? (rhetorical, AP, no need to answer 
)
E
)E
-
Kathy Ellen
- Posts: 10569
- Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 4:04 pm
What Have We Come To Indeed!
JacksDad;713334 wrote: Very good point, Kathy.
With Halloween just around the corner, perhaps it was an accident.
He might have been playing.
JD,
It was amazing to me that you posted this thread today because I can relate to this incident. Today, my 3rd grader had some quality time with their 5th grade buddies. They read wonderful Halloween stories and created some neat projects together. They loved putting together a human skeleton and decorating the skeleton.
Unfortunately, some of the 5 th graders thought it would be really funny to encourage the little ones to put paper guns in the skeleton's hands and put ropes around the skeleton's necks. Thank goodness it was only a small group of children involved. There were 40 children involved and 3 adults supervising. Luckily, I overheard these gurriers whispering to the little ones to misbehave.
One child put the threads from the project around his neck to imitate a noose.
Honestly, I know these children come from good homes but don't know where the behavior comes from:-5
With Halloween just around the corner, perhaps it was an accident.
He might have been playing.
JD,
It was amazing to me that you posted this thread today because I can relate to this incident. Today, my 3rd grader had some quality time with their 5th grade buddies. They read wonderful Halloween stories and created some neat projects together. They loved putting together a human skeleton and decorating the skeleton.
Unfortunately, some of the 5 th graders thought it would be really funny to encourage the little ones to put paper guns in the skeleton's hands and put ropes around the skeleton's necks. Thank goodness it was only a small group of children involved. There were 40 children involved and 3 adults supervising. Luckily, I overheard these gurriers whispering to the little ones to misbehave.
One child put the threads from the project around his neck to imitate a noose.
Honestly, I know these children come from good homes but don't know where the behavior comes from:-5
What Have We Come To Indeed!
As far as journalism goes I doubt these papers' editors care much about the families of these tragedies. Sensationalism sells and in this day and age hard copy is a hard sell, from what I can tell. It doesn't matter to journalists about privacy or circumstances, morality or whatnot, they want and get a paycheck, and just like any other worker they work for their boss, who in this case is the owner of the newspaper. In most developed countries this type of business is heavily censored (implicitly perhaps) by the nation's economic bosses (the government----no?)
E
E
-
RedGlitter
- Posts: 15777
- Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 3:51 am
What Have We Come To Indeed!
It's ridiculous IMO to think this should have been left out of the papers. Or that it's sensationalism. I don't agree with contacting the families but I see nothing wrong with reporting their names or incident like they would any other tragic event. It's also ridiculous IMO to perpetuate that notion that kids should only know sugar and spice or that because they're 6 or 8 or 10 or whatever young age, that they don't possess that strange, inconvenient characteristic of being human. Humans have a dark side, for lack of a better term. Kids are curious about everything, why should death, nooses or guns be an exception? Why are we questioning a child's upbringing because he put a noose around a paper skeleton, for example? Why are we shocked at this? I think because people and society forget that kids are human beings first and foremost and that all that innocence we attribute to them gives way in increments from the day they're born. Maybe if we sheltered them less we could do better by them in the long run.
What Have We Come To Indeed!
Bur why did a child kill allegedly kill him self?
What Have We Come To Indeed!
RedGlitter;713362 wrote: It's ridiculous IMO to think this should have been left out of the papers. Or that it's sensationalism. I don't agree with contacting the families but I see nothing wrong with reporting their names or incident like they would any other tragic event. It's also ridiculous IMO to perpetuate that notion that kids should only know sugar and spice or that because they're 6 or 8 or 10 or whatever young age, that they don't possess that strange, inconvenient characteristic of being human. Humans have a dark side, for lack of a better term. Kids are curious about everything, why should death, nooses or guns be an exception? Why are we questioning a child's upbringing because he put a noose around a paper skeleton, for example? Why are we shocked at this? I think because people and society forget that kids are human beings first and foremost and that all that innocence we attribute to them gives way in increments from the day they're born. Maybe if we sheltered them less we could do better by them in the long run.
I have to agree with Red here.
If something like this happens then maybe it will force the overworked parents to spend a little time with their children and talk to them. Get to know them. Know when they have had a bad day and let them know it's OK. Everyone has bad days.
If this story helps parents talk to their children then it served it's purpose.
This is the baby boomer generation of parents and they are busy trying to make the almighty buck. They need to slow down take a breather for themselves and their children.
:-6
I have to agree with Red here.
If something like this happens then maybe it will force the overworked parents to spend a little time with their children and talk to them. Get to know them. Know when they have had a bad day and let them know it's OK. Everyone has bad days.
If this story helps parents talk to their children then it served it's purpose.
This is the baby boomer generation of parents and they are busy trying to make the almighty buck. They need to slow down take a breather for themselves and their children.
:-6
When choosing between two evils, I always like to take the one I've never tried before.
Mae West
Mae West
-
drumbunny1
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 1:29 am
What Have We Come To Indeed!
Has anyone ever listened to the song "Dirty Laundry" by Don Henley? If you haven't...do! Its perfect for this situation...
Its such a shame that a 7 year old would do something like that....I do think it has a little to do with society and little to do with the parenting....who knows? But I can't exactly agree with Red....yes humans have a dark side....but we're born completly innocent and lighthearted and slowly through life that "dark side" is almost made. I don't think a 7 year old needs to know about suicide just yet...he/she will learn about in time....but I think we need to let our children be children and not burden them with all the terrible things in the world....if only there was a news channel that played all the good in the world....as far as the parents go...I think that when a child is that young, whatever he/she does has a direct reflection of the parents.
Its such a shame that a 7 year old would do something like that....I do think it has a little to do with society and little to do with the parenting....who knows? But I can't exactly agree with Red....yes humans have a dark side....but we're born completly innocent and lighthearted and slowly through life that "dark side" is almost made. I don't think a 7 year old needs to know about suicide just yet...he/she will learn about in time....but I think we need to let our children be children and not burden them with all the terrible things in the world....if only there was a news channel that played all the good in the world....as far as the parents go...I think that when a child is that young, whatever he/she does has a direct reflection of the parents.
-
PerfectAngel
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:13 am
What Have We Come To Indeed!
What is so sad is to think that this particular child had that much pain in his heart, that he wanted to die to make it all stop! Alot of times children will hide their pain, and put on a happy face............because there may be hell to pay from the parents if they don't! It really saddens me to think that a 7 year old even knows what suicide is! I don't care what anyone says........there's more to the story then what is being revealed here! I can't imagine that the little boy went to such drastic measures over a bad grade! Even if he IN FACT did commit suicide over a bad grade, what was going on at HOME that he was so afraid of? Was he going to get whipped for it? Was he going to be YELLED, SCREAMED, HOLLERED at by Mom or Dad? Was he going to be DRASTICLY punished and he just couldn't bear the thought of it? Were the parents going to ALIENATE him from the family due to a poor grade? Abuse comes in many different forms; MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, and MENTAL!!!!!!! Did anyone ever bother to think that maybe he had been reciently sexually abused or assulted by a teacher, coach, family friend, church member? It could be anything.........My prayers are with that child and his family.......and what ever secret that NO-ONE may possibly even know about! God know though..........
It's like the saying, "Your only as sick as your secrets!" :-1 :-1
Now a days.....it's so common to just turn your head like you never saw anything! Ever hear the song Concrete Angels by Martina McBride? Oh God I baw EVERY time I hear it!
It's like the saying, "Your only as sick as your secrets!" :-1 :-1
Now a days.....it's so common to just turn your head like you never saw anything! Ever hear the song Concrete Angels by Martina McBride? Oh God I baw EVERY time I hear it!