The Personal Side To A Tragedy.

[Glocktogo]

I can't imagine her father's pain, but I do appreciate his ability to see the overall picture. It seems rare that you hear of such an understanding parent in such tremendous personal grief. It sounds like she was really struggling in her life. We never know what demons torment someone in their worst moments. I hope everyone involved finds peace.

Her pain somehow reminds me of this very poignant song.

 

[rockchalk06]

I love my son more than anything in this world, but if he ever placed a cop in a position to defend themselves, I would expect them to do the same as I would. I have a lot of respect for her father. No one but him can feel or imagine the pain he is in and to forgive the people forced to end his daughters bad choices, my hats off.

 

[AKguy1985]

Very sad, horrible bad deal for everybody involved.

 

[Snattlerake]

While I was in Hooker working I noticed a girl at the local hamburger place had been cutting herself. I talked with her several times about it and the help she could get and we called my friend in the police dept. and they got her some help. I returned about a year later on another job and asked about her. They said she had gotten off the meth and was doing ok going to school in Liberal.

 

[Sgt Dog]

There is a good and obvious reason every culture tells tales of courage and bravery that uplift the human spirit and inspire people to overcome life’s hardships. This story is from the other side of that coin… trying to find meaning in tragedy by sounding a warning for those who are temped to surrender to another past. That Katelyn Tarver song is more like an ode to self absorption and self pity. It would make a great suicide note. I’ve been around mental illness and seen its suffering and misery up close. And her refrain “you don’t know what its like” is all too true for too many, but what does it inspire but surrender. Its a good song for this occasion to be sure. I can see why the it came to Glocktogo’s mind! But again, for me, it just answers the question of why we hold up stories that strengthen, empower and inspire rather than those that offer no hope. It is as dark as the story itself.

 

[Neanderthal]

I couldn't imagine (and don't want to) losing one of my children, much less going through something like this.

 

[ssgrock3]

FFFFFFK that sucks. As a dad to a total of 7 kids from 16-34, it is always on your heart and prayers that none of your kids spin out and get into this kind of thing. He is a good man foe recognizing it. He will grieve and the pendulum will swing back and forth for a while

 

[turkeyrun]

Amazing insight and a total helplessness to be able to help.

Society, police, judges, friends, even family have a tendency to blame the parents.
Kid skips school, judge threantens the working, single Mom with jail. ????
How is that changing anything?
Makes me mad. I have seen some lost, wild, mean, drugged, violent, awful teens come from the greatest families. And there are some great kids coming from awful families.

Look at some of the shows on TV. The stupid kid, the trouble maker, the nonconformist is the hero, the cool kid.

Sometimes it is the crowd they fall in with. Sometimes they are the crowd leading others.

Some can't be saved. It hurts. The family closest to them, they ones left behind, must deal with what has happened.

Not to the point of death, but i can relate, having dealt with much of what this father has.

There are others here, who have dealt with or are dealing much of the same.

 

[CSeverns]

Yep. I get pretty damn tired of hearing "the parents must have been...."

Sometimes no matter how fast you bail, the boat keeps going down. All the thoughtful perspective kinda goes out the window after a while. It boils down to "I miss them" and nothing else really matters.

I had a very close friend that I had known since I was six years old. He was the smartest person I knew, straight A’s in every report card up until he graduated high school. Had the most loving parents you could ask for, his dad was a district judge for the county for 30+ years, his mom was the head R.N. in the emergency room at St. Anthony’s for 30+ years. He was given every opportunity to succeed in life and was well on his way. His second year of college, he developed a heroin addiction that later created countless problems for him in his life, he got busted a few times, was in and out of rehab for years. In early 2018, he was at a rehab center in Texas where he checked himself out, he went and scored more drugs, then overdosed that night alone in a motel room. He was 35. His dad was so ate up that he couldn’t even sit there during the funeral. Just shows that it doesn’t matter how well you raise someone or how much you love your kids, eventually, they have to make their own decisions in life at some point. Unfortunately he made the wrong decisions. RIP S.W.

 

[TedKennedy]

I had a very close friend that I had known since I was six years old. He was the smartest person I knew, straight A’s in every report card up until he graduated high school. Had the most loving parents you could ask for, his dad was a district judge for the county for 30+ years, his mom was the head R.N. in the emergency room at St. Anthony’s for 30+ years. He was given every opportunity to succeed in life and was well on his way. His second year of college, he developed a heroin addiction that later created countless problems for him in his life, he got busted a few times, was in and out of rehab for years. In early 2018, he was at a rehab center in Texas where he checked himself out, he went and scored more drugs, then overdosed that night alone in a motel room. He was 35. His dad was so ate up that he couldn’t even sit there during the funeral. Just shows that it doesn’t matter how well you raise someone or how much you love your kids, eventually, they have to make their own decisions in life at some point. Unfortunately he made the wrong decisions. RIP S.W.

That sounds way too familiar.