My 13 year old daughter is my Hero! It's true!! Why in the world would a teenager be my hero? Well....
Jennifer has a friend named Madelyn who has been her very best friend since they met in 1st grade. They are so funny to listen to and are always cracking each other up with their silliness.
This year in 7th grade has been difficult for Madelyn. The teen years are trying enough without some of the pressures that teens have to go through.
A few weeks ago Jennifer and I were going home after her Model United Nations Club meeting and she started telling me some of the struggles that Madelyn has been going through. Sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and questioning her own sexuality have been following Madelyn most of the school year. Jennifer disclosed to me that Madelyn wanted to kill herself and she also told me that she had already had been cutting herself. She felt that no one would miss her, not even her pets,her sister, her parents. Jennifer said she tried to cheer her up but it did not seem to be working.
I talked to Jennifer quite a bit on the way home about how tough it is in these years and some of my own struggles as a teen. I encouraged her strongly to go to the school counselor the next day to let her know about what Madelyn was threatening to do. She said she would go the very next day and I knew she would because I could tell that Jennifer was truly scared for her best friend.
After lunch the next day Jennifer and another close frind went to the school counselor and thank goodness she took it seriously. She immediately called Madelyn to her office and after talking to her she called Madelyn's parents who both came to the school as soon as they could get there.
Jennifer called Madelyn later that afternoon to check up on her and Madelyn thanked her several times for being such a good "sister friend". She was thankful she went to the counselor and told her she would be out of school the next day to see a Dr.
Jennifer was going to be on an U.N. competition trip right after this so she enlisted the help of another friend to stay in contact with Madelyn to make sure she was o.k. while she was gone.
Madelyn is getting the help she was crying out for and I truly feel that Jennifer saved her life!! Jennifer was very brave for taking this so seriously and caring enough to do whatever it took to make sure her very best friend stays on this earth. There might be tough times again but at least Madelyn knows she has a true "once in a lifetime" friend in Jennifer.
So THIS is why MY teenager, Jennifer Leighann, is MY hero!! Don and I are both so very very proud of Jennifer. She was named Student of the Week and Student of the Month and I told her that evidently someone at the school thinks she is a hero as well. Jennifer just shrugged and said," I am just glad that Madelyn is still alive and that I did not have to go to her funeral."
....Spoken like a TRUE hero!!
I LOVE you Jennifer!!!
