Even mentally stable, *good* teens don't tell *good* parents everything, now that my 20 year old is telling me some of the stuff she did as a teen.
And it is exactly that!! Teens do not want their parents as friends for the most part, in fact, the privacy of a teen is something that is inviolate to said teen, I remember acting much the same way when I felt friendless and super obsessed with why I did not fit in at exactly those same ages, and even when I outgrew it, I resented my parents horribly for intruding on my privacy, which I will say that they did fairly and mostly quite mildly. My parents in NO way ever contributed to my sense of not fitting in or depression, it was just a part of my psyche and growing up all gawky and awkward and being labeled a nerd when that was the least desirable label out there for me, maybe because in my heart I was never truly one. Yes, my mother and grandmother suffered from depression, but not the chronic types, just the normal "life is sort of overwhelming you at the moment and you are trying your best to deal with it" types. the two times I got treated for it, that was my diagnosis as well, I could not let go, I felt guilt about everything, and I had this huge need to feel like I was in charge and calling the shots, which was far from the case, and when I say this, it was only about my own life, not controlling others or anything else.
All I can say is that Tina Meier has been most forthcoming, she will feel the personal gult and hurt for every day for the rest of her life, so will Ron Meier, and their pretty daughter who was only just starting to try and figure out who she was and what she wanted to be and to just feel accepted will never have that chance. Yes, there is a chance Megan would have done the same thing to herself if no one had ganged up on her on a made up MySpace account, if she had not been insulted and personally wounded by comments that she was already all too vulnerable to be reading and dealing with, Tina and Ron Meier relive the what ifs every day.
Lori Drew, on the other hand, knew that Megan WAS depressed, knew what actions were taking place on the Myspace account even if she herself was not making the comments, and then tried to hide every other persons's involvement, including her own child and an 18 year old employee. Should she and her family be social pariahs? YES. I guess I am so caught up in this case because it is bad enough when real life peers cut you to the quick, but to have "made up" ones do it all in the guise of a deliberate false friendship simply sickens me, especially since the person behind it was still Lori Drew. Someone her age simply should have known better and have stepped in from the get go when the issues arose between her daughter and Megan, instead of thinking ths "cloak and dagger" mentality would be good revenge.
Yes, Lori, it worked fantastically. What are you going to do now to deal with your own daughter? Now that she is also a social pariah, how do you, Lori, deal with that small outcome? Everyone knows pretty much where the hateful messages came from, so, how do you as a parent step up to the plate? Hide your face, ignore the press?
To be honest, this whole case disturbs me so much that I think I should not comment further either. Let us just say that I certainly do not blame either Tina or Ron Meier, except for giving in to the pleas of their oldest child to simply be allowed to try and fit in.No it did not work out, but it was not for lack of parental concern or trying to keep up with it for their daughter's sake.