But on the other hand I think suicide in this age group is far more complex than just students striving for academic excellence and accolades in outside activities. I think there is a social component to this and perhaps also other emotional issues that may have gone unrecognized. College is a huge adjustment on a lot of levels for most kids.
Although certainly stress plays a role and can aggravate a situation that is already on a downslide.
My DH went to Grad School at Yale and used to complain about how stressed out and dysfunctional the undergrads were. They had blinders on, entirely frightened of keeping a high GPA. That was almost 20 years ago… I can’t imagine the feverish pitch now.
Caught part of this while driving 7D2 back to school last night:
http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/2015/02/17/teens-and-stress/
More great news on the culture we have created for our kids!
^^^ “celebrate your unevenness” the Doc says.
@Charger78: The “tiger parent” in me didn’t necessarily agree with everything that the one interviewee (the one at Penn) was espousing, but it was interesting to hear that story layered on top of the Penn study news.
I was rolling around Photographer Mom’s suggestion to book orientation reservations ASAP, and thinking I really don’t need to be at orientation. After 4 years of driving/carrying/bedmaking/departing I have little interest in rinse and repeat. Don’t think DC needs me there either. Anybody else feel that way after 4 years of boarding school? I think I’ll just buy her a plane ticket and ship some boxes.
^^That’s how my family did it with me 25 years ago. I took a cab from the airport right to my freshman dorm. NBD. No teary goodbye scenes.
Good for you, @2prepMom. I like that idea even though we won’t be doing that. CK was recently accepted to one of his first-choice schools. He will be going away for a long, long time (not exactly prison), so we can’t afford to miss this goodbye.
If it’s not exactly a prison, then it must be medical school?
or on the other side of the country? or the pond?
I can’t believe CK’s last spring break is almost here. He will come home next Wednesday for a little more than a week and then off to spring training. Most likely, the next time we see him will be graduation! How did we get here so fast? Where did the time go? Why am I still here?
The unsure teenager we dropped off at Mem’ House in 2011 is gone. We’ve watched our son grow into a strong, thoughtful, witty, confident, determined young man who has gone the BS distance with grit and integrity, facing challenges and setbacks with grace and victories with humility. He went from boy to man without us. I still feel his absence keenly, but I am filling that hole in my heart with pride in his accomplishments and the comfort of knowing that for all we’ve missed, he has missed nothing.
I am also laughing (somewhat ironically) at how the college process went. Never in a million years could we have remotely imagined the shape he’s assumed and the perfect hole he’ll be calling home for college which is why I think that heading into BS with any preconceived college list or desired outcome is folly. He’s in for a tough ride, but he’s more than up to it.
I can also report that now that CK knows where he’s going, we can hear the smile in his voice and his conversation is happy and relaxed. We are looking forward to tons of big hugs and the first absolutely tension-free break in a long time.
It will be hard to let him go again.
I am SO curious now!! Described as “going away for a long, long time (not exactly a prison),” AND laughing ironically at “the perfect hole he’ll be calling home for college”. What IS this place @ChoatieMom?
Sorry, absolutely identifiable at this stage.
Well, good on ChoatieKid! We are one year behind you and thrilled to be starting this ride! My DD has grown so much. I can only imagine what is in store while she explores her next adventure.
Glad Choatie Mom’s son is cruising along so well. Our D reacted with utter shock to her early acceptance ( we were shocked too, to be honest), and she was so thrown off she could not even text us, we just got random symbols (that’s serious). She utterly flunked two exams the next day, and has been reeling ever since, from excitement to panic. Much harder to focus on classes, and feeling out of step with the kids not accepted early. So much change, after 4 years in the cozy shared BS bubble. I wonder if that doesn’t underlie a lot of “senioritis”. More stress management needed now than ever before.
Congrats to ChoatieKid! 
Congrats to 2prepKid! Sounds like she got into her first choice school. Nice “stress” to have. 
Some more insight into the awesome world we have created for our kids:
"In fact, I wouldn’t even be writing this article if I weren’t a third trimester senior. I’ve thought about writing for [THE SCHOOL PAPER] before, but my college instincts discouraged me. The majority of college admissions officers repeatedly stress that depth and leadership in extracurricular activities are a key component to admission. Casually writing for [THE SCHOOL PAPER], without devoting enough time to become a leader, would have probably hurt my admission chances. But now, that’s all behind me. If I want to write an article, I’ll write an article.
At a school like [SCHOOL X], where competition for grades and college admission often runs higher than is healthy, I think it’s important for us to realize this special opportunity."
DISCLAIMER: I came across this piece looking for coverage of an athletic event that my younger daughter’s team was involved in (along with SCHOOL X). This is NOT from either of my daughters’ schools.
Sad that this student felt that “casually writing” for his school paper “without devoting enough time to become a leader” would hurt his admission chances. Sadder still that the author feels that “competition for grades and college admission often runs higher than is healthy”.
WTF are we doing, parents?
^ This particular school is one of those elite NYC schools that begins with nursery school, and has parents salivating before the child’s conception, so the desire to attend this school was never one fostered by the kid.
True, skieurope, but it’s also considered one of the “must go to” schools in the NYC orbit! FWIW, I was talking to a dad associated with that school at the aforementioned athletic event and he said “It’s like U of Chicago, you know, where fun goes to die.” Wow.
CHANGING THE TOPIC DRASTICALLY:
What do parents think: Do we talk to 7D about the college acceptances she has in hand and try to narrow down/eliminate now or just wait a few weeks when we know the entire picture? Asking for opinions because I’ve gone back and forth on the issue myself.