6-Year-Old Oregon Girl Commits Suicide, Medical Examiner Says

I see a few people are confusing adult logic with child thoughts. Those of you saying "at 6 she couldn't have thought about suicide" are partially wrong. Lets look at this from the perspective of reality.

Kids in 2010 are subjected to FAR MORE death, destruction, violence, etc, then most of us were at that age. Now I am NOT saying that due to this it drove her to suicide, but what it did do was give her FAMILIARITY with the act(s) themselves. We don't know what kind of movies the parents have allowed her to watch, or see with them, let alone internet access. A simple scene in a movie where someone hung themselves could of logged in her mind and when she became upset with being diciplined, this memory came back and she thought, hmmm this will scare my mom, or "teach her". With that it goes back to the "she couldn't have known what suicide was" and I agree she didn't, and that is what killed her. When she went through the motions it was all a ploy IMO to get back at mom, but as soon as her body actualy followed through she found herself in a situation she didn't understand...hence had NO IDEA how to save herself due to her age.

Being a cop has unfortunatly put me in situations to see kids murdered by parents, and I have seen as young as 9 commit suicide. I know the police WILL investigate this to the furthest extent, but believe me, this stuff does happen.

As for the members screaming murder...your simply being irresponsible at this point in time. You have NO FACTS, NO EVIDENCE, NOTHING to make such a claim. It goes back to adult logic vs child thoughs, and your not looking at it from both ends.

reply to post by Unity_99
All very valid points.. and yes i do understand the world and society in which we live, but certain aspects of them still escape me it seems! You are very right that children are brought up in a completely different world than i, and i am sure many others, could have even imagined during the times of our youths.. i remember my father being shocked that by age 7 or so, i clearly knew what marijuanna was, pointing out to me years after that he knew nothing of it until he was in his 20s in the army ..times indeed change rapidly, and at times, my mind struggles to keep up...I have always believed over sheltering a child can be an extremely dangerous thing to do.. and no matter what a parent does to keep certain things (violence, death, suicide, drugs etc) away from their child(ren)s life, public schooling, media and just interaction with other children in any way tends to shoot those plans of the parents in the foot really.. I apologize for my lack of thought regarding my earlier post, thank you for calling me on it, kids are far from innocent these days, and of course thats not bound to get better anytime soon...
I also agree (with one boy of my own whos 8) that there is a difficult line between keeping them wrapped in cotton wool and over babied and letting go in ways..
That story you told is really really sad, especially due to an authoritive figures lack of forethought on such a game! Ohh yes i do recall many arguments with my parents over discipline and yup, when it takes place it does feel like the world is crashing in and turning on you..so this is most likely a tragic case of over reaction as a six year old does when angry.. (much like younger children who bang their heads on the floor or hit themselves when frustrated)..children have come to the point where they are growing up faster both in physical/hormonal aspects as well as mentality and understanding that 20 years back or so, most kids never would have..
thank you again for your reply..


Edited to correct wording

[edit on 7-4-2010 by Full_Vision]

reply to post by ganjoa


I was gonna say. How does that child even know what hanging is?

I can assure you my child doesn't seen anything like that on bob the builder.


But I meet way too many parents who don't bother to censor what is on kids tv, and don't care what their kids watch.

There is a reason for a tv rating.

This is one of those threads that I wish could have a Poll attached to it. It will be several months before the official investigation/review is done. In the mean time you know two sides will be main topic:

Did the Child kill herself? Or did someone kill the child?

I hate to say it with so little info/evidence confirmed but I tend to lean towards looking at the ones who are able to walk out alive from the house more than I do at the one lying dead in the house. (it just the way I am)

Originally posted by InfaRedMan

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
reply to post by InfaRedMan

 

This is a case of a 6 year old playing the choking game (likely learned from a playmate or older cousin), and a medical examiner that is a complete idiot.

Everything is speculative at this point.

there is a thread on here talking about credentials. is this the kind of person you are looking for credentials from? LOL....educated idiot. My own 12 year old has more insight than the ME in this case.

Credentials? I haven't discussed credentials. I think you are creating your own subtext there mate.

IRM

[edit on 7/4/10 by InfaRedMan]

I was creating my own subtext. Sorry.

I had just gotten off the "credential" thread, and it was early. I didn't clarify what i meant very well.

Originally posted by ganjoa
Sad and tragic shocking and devasting to the family. A child of that age.

At seven the child had been exposed to TV and movies and who-knows what kind of music and video games. Consider the old timey game of "hangman" played with a pad and pencil. Consider just about any scene from "Grand Theft Auto" video game. Just consider that seven isn't too young to pickup behavioral clues that could prove fatal.

gj

yes blame video games and t.v
it must have been this


*snip*
Mod Edit: Please Review the Following Link: Courtesy Is Mandatory

[edit on Wed Apr 7 2010 by Jbird]

Originally posted by Aeons
Kid made a very stupid mistake. Probably was a kid full of vim and vigor.

All my kids have gone through phases when they are angry at me they try to do things to themselves to hurt themselves to prove a point. They all have very aggressive personalities, and are stubborn to the point of stupidity sometimes.

Don't hit my head. Yeah! Well I'll show you! Bang bang bang.

I imagine this is like that. But it got out of hand.

well you have a very vivid imagination then
and self harming children dont really come around to often, and yet all of yours are apparently. quite a turn up.

the questions needed answering are, how did the child find the implement to cause the death?
how did they tie a knot in both ends of said implement so precisely?
and where the flying duck were the parents at the time?

maybe they live a castle, and they couldnt hear the thrashing and panic that would have ensued from the west wing.

id say justice will prevail, but as someone previously said, we still await that for little maddie mccann.

Take a look at the world you brought children into.

It is a tragedy, but quite frankly I would be mega pissed at my parents were I born today, given the state of this miserable rock we live on.

This kid had been told that Mom didn't like them playing with belts around their neck. A conversation I've had with my children too.

Hanging oneself with a belt doesn't take much to do. My children tie things to swing with onto ANYTHING. They don't need expertise. They don't weigh that much, and frankly they just make a mess of knots and like any good Gordian knot should it just stays. Its a kid talent.

Little kids have BIG emotions. Too big to fit in their little bodies.

Because of this, I could totally see a kid having that idea of "Mom doesn't like it when I do this" and "I'll show you" and coming up with something that stupid. Then getting themselves into lots of trouble and being unable to get themselves out of it.

I had WAY more freedom than the average person as a child. I many times almost killed myself doing something. So did my brother. Somehow my sister lacked the doing-things-dumb-enough-to-kill-you thing.

Ever climbed down 6 stories in a garbage chute? I did. How about think its a good idea to climb between balconies 7 stories in the air by using the phone cords up the side of the building? Yeah, did that too. Amoungst numerous other things that made me whimper with a holy-#-how-do-I-fix-this terror after I initiated them.

I'm smart. Smart doesn't mean you don't make bad choices based on a poor understanding of the consequences.

And children have a VERY POOR understanding of consequences.

Children are not small adults.

[edit on 2010/4/7 by Aeons]

reply to post by boondock-saint



OMG... do not even say that. I refuse to even consider a parent as a suspect before all the evidence is in and all other posibilities have been eliminated.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by ganjoa

 

But I meet way too many parents who don't bother to censor what is on kids tv, and don't care what their kids watch.

There is a reason for a tv rating.

I agree, but I'd go further and say; just turn the blasted thing off and entertain your kids yourself.
I know that's easier said than done, but the same can be said about being the sort of parent you wish you were.

On topic: I have a 3 year old girl (and a 1 year old boy) and I've told her so many times to keep her fingers out of the door frame, you know the side part were the hinges are. I don't mean that I tell her off, I get down on her level and I try my hardest to explain to her what could happen to her fingers. I've even shown her what happens to a bottle top in there, how it went completely flat.
Now sometimes, she puts her fingers in there and looks at me with a little half smile, like she's telling me "Hey dad, look what I'm doin'... I know ya hate it, so what'cha gonna do 'bout it ay?"
Just thinking about what could happen makes me worry like you wouldn't believe. But even though she saw for herself what happened to a bottle top in there, she doesn't really think about the terrible anguish she could find herself in. She knows, but it's like the volume on that thought is just not really turned up.
It's difficult to write what I mean, because it is strange and complicated behaviour. But I don't think it's unusual behaviour and I can remember being a little bit that way myself. Children's brains are different from adults', it's hard for children and adults to relate to each other.
We try, but when something like this happens, how can we accept it? I mean, may be the child was suicidal, but I know that this could happen to a child who most certainly is not suicidal. Then how can we finally reconcile that?
I'm sure that small girl has left a very large and very dark hole that for the people involved, will always be there and it will always be just as large and just as dark as it is now.