Do adults make a mountain out of a mole, when responding to a teenage turmoil or struggle?

 "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.

 Dear parents, mentors of preteens and teenagers, its time to ponder on this and do the needful!

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success" - Thomas Alva Edison

With rising occurrences' of preteens and teenagers resorting to end their precious lives, its about time we adults realize our follies and make amends to set things right before we result in damage control, which often is irreversible.

I can cite cases that have recently been in the news in my very own city, where some of the most wonderful children, have taken the drastic measure to end their lives in the most gruesome manner possible. With all due regard and respect, I consciously take their side as a student comrade and fellow thinker.

As most of us may ask-"why, what, how, why didn't they----?" and so on into a rigmarole of blaming one another, instead of looking at the root cause which could be as petite as "I did not give a listening ear to my child" / "I blew my top on their mistake which could have been avoided if I had only listened" /"I blamed them for everything I heard from elsewhere" ---------------   and this could go on with an endless list of regrets.

Who is responsible?  Now this is a hypothetical question as always.

There is no definite answer to this unless one owns up to their fault and tries to set things right before things go out of hand and lead to one more sad news as we hear in every city, every state not just in India but all over the world.

Citing these incidents, is not going to resolve the turmoil, teenage minds are going through.

Various Non-government organizations are working to resolve this for the receptive yet contradicting age group, who have become a concern and often a neglect at home, at school and University level, sadly overlooked by the government amidst their own crisis of political issues.

As much as we indulge in ignorance and digression from the crux of today's teenage turmoil, the more we are the contributors to the rising count of precious lives being lost.

I call out to all of you who consider or believe that they can bring about a change, [age being insignificant here] it is the thought that 'we can make a difference' and be there as pillars of support, as cushions of comfort, as listeners of their tiniest grievance, unbiased, empathetic yet empowering them to believe that there is a better life for them and that there are people who have a plethora of options to give them a better tomorrow or be able to find solutions to their struggles.  

Who better than late Ratan Tata is known for this, who left his legacy of honouring and trusting the youth to the fullest their potential.

Educators, journalists, fellow writers, doctors, career planners, political leaders, sports fraternity, and all other professionals do share your thoughts on how can we make a difference in the quality of a teenager's life and become facilitators in paving way for them to accomplish and realize their goals or even have a choice to opt for something they really wish to do.

In my journey of 30 years in teacheing, training, career guidance, student counselling, and education as whole, I have mentored some amazing students who were unique in their own little ways, inspiring with their thoughts, ideas and vision for India and the world as a whole and some of them had simple dreams in life. 

Today I stand witness to the loss of some of those wonderful students who left without a note to their dear mentor who still is at loss of words as to why they left the way they did.  Faintly I do have an inkling of what it could be, yet I find it difficult to even believe that my apprehensions about some of those students' families or their immediate teachers proved true, who were catylists knowingly or unknowingly in what ensued.

As a parent of a teen, my understanding over the years about the teenage mind, has only deepened and also saddened in being helpless a times as to how we could be the path givers or guides or confindante in whom they could confide and let go of their burdens.  I am still grappling to understand them more with the help of some amazing pysychologists who are doing a yeoman's service to this age group unselfishly and diligently working on giving them viable solutions through their remarkable initiatives and care cells.  

Special mention: an amazing psychologist, philanthropist Dr Shalini Aiyappa who is also one of the instrumental contributor to the ever active mental wellness helpline: Manothejaka www.manothejaka.com.

Dear Teenagers, this is for you :

“Don’t worry if people think you’re crazy. You are crazy. You have that kind of intoxicating insanity that lets other people dream outside of the lines and become who they’re destined to be.”
― Jennifer Elisabeth, Born Ready: Unleash Your Inner Dream Girl