What do you say to your 13 yr old son on his facebook

[fbWldcat]

Empathy and the shared human experience.
Strength in knowing there is support from even the most remote places.

 

[Yeager]

MOUNT VERNON — The body found by a fisherman in the Skagit River Wednesday has been identified by the Skagit County Coroner’s Office as 13-year-old Joshua Soren. Joshua was wading in the river Aug. 14 at a popular swimming hole near the railroad bridge in Burlington when the sandbar beneath him gave way into the river, and he was swept away. His family members and friends have spent countless hours at the river where Joshua had disappeared, waiting for searchers to find his body or walking the banks themselves. An autopsy Thursday determined Joshua’s cause of death as fresh water drowning, said Skagit County Coroner Daniel Dempsey. Dempsey needed to wait for dental records to identify Joshua’s remains. Family members described Joshua as outgoing, funny and smart, and as an average teen who liked skateboarding and playing video games. A memorial service will be held Sept. 11 at Maiben Park in Burlington. The time will be announced at a later date.
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Rest in peace young man and soon you will be reunited with those you love.

[AAJagerX]

I've always had a fairly extreme fear of rivers.  In a boat, fine.  On the bank, fine.  In the water...  No way.  Stories like these reaffirm this fear.  I feel heartbroken for the family of the young man that was lost.  Hopefully others will take heed when around or in a river.  The power of the current in even a small river is amazing. 

  going up for that family.

[fbWldcat]

I go wading into the river at times but only at places where I know the current isn't too swift. The river around here has Gar, Bowfin, Muskie and rusted stuff all over the place. I wade in creeks all the time, no problem, most depth is around 13' and swiftest current is a small handful.

I almost got swept away by river current once, scariest experience of my life. <S>

[Reschke]

Dammit man things like this really get to me...my oldest is 13 and right now its a hard time trying to figure out what he wants to talk about without him getting frustrated or vice versa. I can't imagine loosing him or his brother or sister and like someone else mentioned should something like that happen I know the walls will go up and be impenetrable to everyone around me until I am ready for them to become a part of my life.

I am praying right now for that family and for all the others in this group of people that we all hang out with on the BBS and in the game. May none of us ever have to experience this type of tragedy again or if we do that we will be strong enough to move forward. For those of us still with our children that we all take time to be more of a parent and less of a friend to them and that we don't get frustrated with them when they don't open up to us.

[4deck]

This topic sux, Im so friggin bummed out. This is one thread I actually read all the posts, and I have to go now. 

I lost my cousin who was about 7 while I was 9, to a drowning accident in my Uncles pond in front of their house. Im 42 now, but damn that brought a memory back. I was up there day's visiting b4 it happened. They sold that house about a year after that.

Damn someone post a pic of something good, to damn dark in here.
 

[Yeager]

Here is how I feel:  if you have tragically lost someone in this life that you loved, then you need to remember them often.  Don't fret on what happened, how they died.  Be it accidental, disease.... What's done is done and needs no revisiting.  

What you need to do is express your love for them even if it is just in your own private heart in a quiet moment of reflection.  But remember them often, keep their memory alive.  In this way it gives their life purpose and meaning after death and it renews your spirit and faith in life.  Love.  The memory of their life will generate feelings of love in your heart.  Never forget them.

[Tupac]

My best friend got hit by a drunk driver when he was riding his bicycle, it was 2 years July 13th.

I couldn't imagine what it was like to be his parents

[Babalonian]

I couldnt fathom loosing my little ones, then 2 weeks ago this happened, I cut this from our squads forum I posted it 2 weeks ago

<POST>
Gents, Had a bit of a horrific weekend this weekend,which is the main reason you fellas havent seen me on this week. While at my mother in laws house working outside, we heard the neighbor across the street scream, . My wife and I went across the street to see what we could do to help, and find out what was going on. The familys 1 1/2 yrold child got out of the house (who was watching the child i have no idea) and fell into the pool. CPR was done on the child until the ambulance showed up 5mins later, then the EMTs took over CPR.We found out about an hr later that it was all for nothing as the child did not make it.
As a dad this really has screwed me up, picturing the little one on the ground with pb&j still on his face, and finding out an hr after the ambulance left that he died. <end post>

Until this happened a few weeks ago, my mind was not even open to the fact that this could even happen. Now i find myself watching my kids ( boy girl twins 10rs old ) like a hawk (more so than i use too). The pain this woman,or any parent that looses a child, feels could not even be imagined by me,and i pray never is.

Very sad indeed, but as a landscape drafter and designer I have to say that more could of been done to prevent it.  Pools are very dangerous in a house full of kids (or even adults with a tendancy to party too hardy).  Bottom line is, If you have a pool (kids or no kids living there) have an enclosure for it, there is no excuse to be financialy able to afford a pool, it's anual maintenance costs, but not a child-proof or detering enclosure. 

Here in so-cal we hear a lot about neighbors kids sneaking into use another neihgbors pool on a hot day, and tragedy hits.  If the enclosure can be secured or locked, lock it (you might be _real_ sorry later in hindsite if keeping a key ontop of your fridge was too much a minor inconvenience).  Don't like the idea of a fence around your pool?  Try thick hedges or a thick perimiter of roses.  Thorn bushes or large salamander/thorn cactus (the small "hairy" salamanderly types are a nightmare near bare-foot areas).  My ex grandfather in-law had some teenage kids that would sometimes on a hot afternoon hop a shared backyard fence/wall if they thought nobody was home.  A weekend of gardening and installing some hefty cactuses solved that problem for him (the block wall faced south and due to the pool was heavily exposed, so perfect spot for cactus) and the wall by the pool never looked better, especialy when some of the cactus bloom.

Also a touching thread for remembrance, brought back a lot of memories to me of friends now gone far before their time.  Each time I regret I was not near or around to help, as I'm sure I could of.  As a teenager I went through lifeguard training, EMT training, CPR cources, swiftwater (why is swift + water censored ?!) rescues, and a lot of that stuff thanks to my scoutmaster who was an LA City fire chief, it was a lot of fun and a great experience, learned tons.  You can't be everywhere at once, but you can be prepared and educated for when you are there and able to help... the life you save may be your own even.  And as social and comunal beings, that's the best we can do as a whole - prepare and educate as many people as possible so that there are more of us out there, prepared.  Stuff will always happen, but maybe next time there will be a happier ending.

[cpxxx]

I have two boys, 3 and 22 months. Every time I see something like this I hug them harder though they don't know why. 'Daddy' they say indignantly.

Just the other day four kids were killed in a car crash in Killarney, county Kerry, a beautiful part of Ireland. The driver 17, a boy and a girl 15 and a 19 year old. The news featured the funeral of the 15 year old girl. It's hard not to be affected. The only survivor was 16. Imagine his life from now on if he survives?

I suppress any emotional response but it's hard.

[mbailey]

Very sad indeed, but as a landscape drafter and designer I have to say that more could of been done to prevent it.  Pools are very dangerous in a house full of kids (or even adults with a tendancy to party too hardy).  Bottom line is, If you have a pool (kids or no kids living there) have an enclosure for it, there is no excuse to be financialy able to afford a pool, it's anual maintenance costs, but not a child-proof or detering enclosure.  

 

 The above statement could not have been put any better.

It also doesnt help that the mother was two houses away,and is basically useless when she is home, and that the father ( while an extremely nice person ) isnt known for his parenting skills. And on top of all this , they left the 1 1/2 yr old in the care of the mothers 9yrold daughter. I dont mean to demean them or the situation, but the whole thing could have been avoided if  one of them took the time to be a parent . 2 seconds to remove the ladder from the pool, or the minor cost of building a fence or enclosure around it ( the dad is a union carpenter ) could have avoided the whole thing.  I know accidents are accidents and they happen, the problem is this one didnt need too, and wouldnt have if someone would have taken the time to give a dam.

Im sorry, i dont mean to vent, but this is the first ive talked about it,and its only been 2 weeks since it happened.   I guess im just really upset and really pi$$ed off about the situation as a whole.It all just didnt need to happen.

Sorry guys

<S>
Mbailey


 

[OOZ662]

I don't encounter many rivers here, but the Deception Pass claims its fair share, generally teens that have decided scaling its sheer cliffs will be fun. Sometimes small boats will be trapped in the currents as well. During a sudden storm I remember Dad and I stationkeeping outside of it in our 24' motor fishing boat as we watched a sailboat come through the pass with its keel under about four feet of water. That was some exemplary sailing.
Luckily there's almost always a hoarde of people touring the bridge and things get called in before they get too bad.