Paris Jackson Suicide Attempt-Being Hospitalized!

June 5, 2013-  CNN and Fox News are amongst the stations reporting that Paris Jackson, the fifteen year old teenage daughter of the late pop singer Michael Jackson is being hospitalized after being found unconscious inside the Jackson's Calabasas home where she lives with her grandmother Katherine Jackson, and her brothers Prince (16) and Blanket (11).  

The entire world watched the Jackson children say goodbye to their father at his funeral which was publicized on television July 7, 2009 to over 31 million viewers and was the second most watched funeral of all time. Saying goodbye to a father due to a premature death would be difficult for any daughter at any age. However, for Paris Jackson, and the rest of the Jackson family, saying goodbye was something that was done in front of a plethora of lights, cameras, and news reporters.  I don't know what kind of help was put into place for the Jackson children after the funeral when the rest of the world went on with work, paying bills, and posting on Facebook about the next big news story, however anyone who suffers the lost of a love one needs to make sure their mind is properly cared for. Yes, the calls, the hugs, and back rubs are all nice physical comforts, but for people, especially young people who have suffered the lost of a love one; they need  mental comfort and treatment as well.  The people affected need to be counseled and educated about the lost of life in a practical way they can understand in order to begin the healing process. I don't know if this was done for Paris Jackson. The 15 year old recently tweeted several cryptic messages on Twitter.  She wrote, "All my troubles seemed so far away now it looks as though they're here to stay." She also tweeted: " I wonder why tears are salty?" Obviously, there are issues still bothering the girl, and 83 year old Katherine Jackson has her hands full raising three kids in a time period she knows little about.

Parents it is crucial that you pay attention and talk to your kids.  Good behavior and good grades in school does not mean that you have a child free of issues.  The teenage years are arguably the most troubling years of a teenager's life.  So while the world reacts to the news of Paris Jackson, who we first got a chance to know during her heartfelt speech at her father's funeral, let's remember that she is a teenager growing up in today's society where the issues of sex, drugs, self-esteem, identity confusion, and loss of a love one are not respecter of persons.  All teenagers, black or white, rich or poor, are battling these issues everyday. According to Paris Jackson's biological mother, Debbie Rowe, the two now have a closer relationship and Rowe admits her daughter's suicide attempt doesn't come as a shock. Paris hasn't been the same since her father's death.

Being a parent is a difficult job, and those who aspire to be great parents have a task that is extremely challenging.  Having the ability to create a life is such an amazing God given gift.  Unfortunately, this gift doesn't come with an instructional manual, or self help book to teach us how to do a great job and how to handle all the numerous challenges that are going to come our way. So the heavy responsibility falls on adults to make sure that as parents we don't just talk at our kids, or talk to our kids, but that we talk with our kids. When we talk with our kids, there's no fear of embarrassment, backlash, or punishment. Talking effectively with our kids is an extremely rigorous task that needs to be taught and practiced regularly in order to eliminate the risk of falling back into the ineffective parenting talk which has produced popular yet damaging cliche's such as "Because I said so." "This is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you." and "It's my way or the highway."

As we continue to live in a world divided into "The Haves" and "Have Nots", let us remember that when it comes to teenage issues, being a have or a have not is irrelevant. I think that often times people become desensitize to the problems that takes place amongst those who appear in the limelight.  For those who do not have much money, having millions of dollars and being a celebrity appears to be a dream life.  However, for those who have received those things, they still have to deal with the common universal problems that every person deals with; often times on a greater scale.

- Money cannot stop a teen girl from becoming pregnant,

   it can only pay for an abortion.

-Money cannot stop a drug user from overdosing, 

  it can only pay for rehabilitation.

-Money cannot stop a person from being sick,

  it can only pay for medication to become well.

-Money cannot stop a young person from being sexually abused,

 it can only pay for psychological counseling.

and...

-Money cannot prevent vices that leads to premature death, but it can give you the monetary means to afford greater quantities of the device that can lead to death.  

Here's hoping that the Jackson family get the healing, counseling, and strength they need to overcome one of life's greatest battles...death!

Shira Dillon was born in Gary, Indiana. She holds a Master's Degree in Secondary Education, and a Bachelor's Degree in Speech, Theater, and English Education.  Shira is a SAG/AFTRA actress and comedian that infuses her talents in the entertainment industry, her own childhood experiences of being a teen, and her 15 years of experience in the public school system to help parents and teens all over the country fix their life and relationships.  With the new release of her teen self-help book, Sex, Drugs, and Other Elephants:How To Deal With Teenage Issues, Shira has been highly sought out for parenting/teaching consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements.  To learn more about Shira Dillon or for booking information go to www.shiradillon.blogspot.com 

Are YOUR Needs Being Met?

 

Welcome to my new blog.!!! My name is Shira Dillon and I am a high school teacher in Los Angeles, CA. This blog will explore the mind and life of teenagers today and help adults better connect with them. Please come by often or subscribe so you can receive these bogs by email. And don't forget to like my FB page www.facebook.com/ParentsTeachersandTeens to unite with me to help public education become a better institution of learning. Our children need it!

 

I had an amazing time at the Tony Robbins Unleash The Power Within Conference in Los Angeles, CA from March 21-24. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I left on the fourth day a stronger, wiser, and better person. So what would I want to do after getting a plethora of life changing information from millionaire Tony Robbins? I shared a piece of the information with a group of people that matter to me a lot- my students.

 

When my students entered the class, we took the first few minutes copying down the 6 basic human needs identified by Tony Robbins.  I then explained these human needs as they relate to my teenage students.

1. Certainty- The need for comfort and security. My students need for their home to always be there for them and their mother to be home by 6pm, and for their school to always provide the services that they provide. Sometimes we take certainty for granted, but if any of these things were altered it would shake our world. We need for certain things to always be there.

2. Uncertainty- As complex as we are as creatures, we need for things to not always be the same. We want variety and the things that spice up life.  One year my students got their need for uncertainty from the outbreaks of fights the broke out daily.  As negative as that was, it was the only thing around that gave them that excitement of the unknown.

3. Significance- We all want to feel important and special. So when teens dye their hair purple, or take on roles varying from honors kid, band member, cheerleader, class president, or class clown these titles are all contributing to a teens significance.

4. Connection/Love- All people need love and your teen is no different. Whatever is giving your child a sense of connection is where your child is going to gravitate. For some teenager its sports, relationships, and for another teenager it can be a gang.  Both of these things are contributing to your child's need for love.

5. Growth- We all have a desire to grow and will grow. Think back to who you were 10 years ago.  I can imagine that you are not that person anymore. My 15 year old students have grown drastically since age 5. "The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life."- Muhammad Ali

6. Contribution- We all want to give to others in one way or another.  It doesn't have to be money. Teenagers contribute by supporting one another as well as with their talents.  A high school band played for my schools ribbon cutting ceremony last month.  That's contribution.  They didn't get paid. They just helped us out, contributed to anther school, and as a result fulfilled their own need for contribution.

Once my students understood these needs, they all agreed that they did need them and that they were very important.  I then asked them to look at these needs and tell me which needs are being fulfilled at their current school.  The results were amazing. Out of approximately 100 students, the 92 of them said that they were only getting 1 to 2 needs met in school from 8am-3pm everyday. One needs to have at least 3 of these needs being met. This means that when something else comes alone that meets at least 3 or more of these basic needs, there's a good chance that it will lure these teenagers away.

So when we feel like we are losing our teenagers to things such as, sex, drugs, and gangs its because those things are meeting their needs more than school.  Sometimes we feel like we lose teenagers to lighter issues such as their cellphones.  My students gladly admitted that they get more of their needs met with their smart phone then they get at school, home, or on their job. 

So what now?

Do the same thing that I've done with the teenagers that you know.  Explain these 6 basic needs to them and ask them to honestly evaluate what needs are getting met and which needs are not at home, in their relationships, and at school. Knowing which needs are being neglected is a sure fire way to put you in the drivers' seat and to help you become a source where your teen can get their needs met before some "elephant" comes along and negatively meet those needs for you.

Shira Dillon is a high school teacher in South, Central Los Angeles. Shira has over 15 years experience working with teenagers and is an expert with helping them and their parents deal with teenage issues. Ms. Dillon is the author of the book Sex, Drugs, and Other Elephants: How To Deal With Teenage Issues that share true stories from the authors life, as well as true stories from teenagers and how they deal with their problems. For more information about the book go to www.heyiwantthatbook.blogspot.com  For a consultation, email me at shiradillo@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter @ShiraNicole