There's big talk these days about the television series 13 Reasons Why. I've seen both positive and negative reactions, which makes perfect sense because the show touches on topics that are very sensitive in nature and things that people feel completely different about. But whatever your take on the topics within the show, I strongly encourage every man, woman and teenager to watch 13 Reasons Why. While certain scenes may be tough to watch, as they were for me, the reality is that this show touches base on things that happen in high schools - and even middle schools - across the nation, and likely the world, every single day!
Why your should watch 13 Reasons Why
My 17 year old son is the first one of us who started watching 13 Reasons Why and he said that I should watch it so one day when we were looking for something to watch on Netflix, my husband put it on. We were hooked right away and watched almost half of the season that evening and were finished with the series in just a few days. We couldn't stop watching because 13 Reasons Why really draws you in. It was a mixed bag of emotions for me throughout the entire series but I remember often saying to him "Oh, my God, those kids are just fucked up" and it really hit me close because like I mentioned above, this kind of stuff happens every single day! It's not like this is just some fictional stuff we're watching here. While it might not be fully related to actual events that took place, this stuff really does happen!
And it's not right. It's not right in any way, shape or form and the only thing to blame is humanity. As a people, we have lost our humanity and we need to do what we can to bring love, compassion and all around caring about others back into our lives. As parents, we need to teach our children how to be good people. As adults, we need to allow our children to learn by example, by being good people ourselves. As a society, we need to say enough is enough and stop just sitting aside when we see any type of wrong-doing.
Perhaps you're already doing these things and I applaud you for that. I am not trying to criticize here, but rather make a point that there are things wrong and it's up to us to make changes, to make a difference, to create a better world for all of us.
I can really relate to Hannah because my school life was similar to hers in so many ways. Kids can be downright mean and hateful, hurting you to your core. Like Hannah, I often wanted to give up. I felt like I had no one. My parents weren't around, I was estranged from my family and the only thing I had to hold on to were the few friends that I had. It's funny because less than a handful of those people are even in my life today.
I feel like that entire period of my life, from 13 to 18 was nothing but a toxic mess and it wasn't until I rid my life of that toxicity, that I learned how to truly be happy with myself. But during that entire period, I was a broken mess. I can't tell you how many times I cried, how many sad poems I wrote or how many times I sliced my wrists. It was awful. My life was meaningless and I just wanted the pain to end.
Being a teenager can be really rough, and especially so when you feel absolutely alone. That's why I'm writing this story, to hopefully inspire you to do some good. ?Let your kids know that you love them, that you are always there for them and that they are your number one. Love your friends like family and when you see a peer struggling, offer support in any way that you are able to. When you see some punk bullying the school nerd, speak up and tell them to knock it off. Tell a teacher if you have to. Just do SOMETHING. You may save someone's life.
But 13 Reasons Why isn't just about suicide, like so many people think. It's about teenagers, the things they do and what goes through their heads. It's about a lesbian who is so afraid to come out of the closet, that she doesn't care who she hurts to hide her secret. It's about a girl who wants to fit in so bad, that she'll go to any lengths to do so. It's about a guy with a sick mentality that he's everything who doesn't think that rape is a bad thing. And it's about so much more.
I strongly encourage you to watch 13 Reasons Why. Watch it alone or with others and just let it really sink in. Let the cold, hard truth hit you; the fact that teens are going through things similar to those in this series. Open up your mind and your heart to do right by others, to love unconditionally and to stand up for what's right, no matter what.
Brandy says
Sadly I don’t think I can stomach 13 Reasons Why. I have asked my teen daughter about this and she has little interest at this time to watch it. She has peers who go through these feelings, they cut they are depressed, etc. She is there for them to talk to, usually over a social media messenger, I have seen the convos. It’s so sad how most of these teens who feel this way honestly have no support system at home. I believe it starts at home but I also know you can have the best of the best home support system and still this can happen. Since this topic hits a little too close to home for me, it’s not something I can stomach to watch unless my daughter asked me to then I would with her for her but suicide and stuff like this? My sister went thru it, I still have her suicide note (she is still alive, even though we don’t speak now) but because of all of that suicide attempts she had, I just know what goes into it and I can’t seem to pick up the stomach to watch it in a series 🙁 My sister wasn’t a cutter, but she burned her arms with a lighter or anything she could find, now she has the scars all over her arm as a reminder from those days. I do believe that people who have no idea what it is that drives teens (and adults) to the breaking point, that they think humans are so kind and that teens are just so peachy friendly that they should watch this to truly see the reality their child may be living in .
Melissa says
I’m sorry to hear about what you went through and I get why it might be hard to watch. But really, it’s about so much MORE than suicide and that doesn’t even play that huge a part in this series, besides knowing that Hannah is talking about what drover her to it. It touches on subjects like, rape, homosexuality and staying in the closet, alcoholism and so many other things that teens face every day. It’s also about the actions of others and how they can ultimately hurt someone to the core. What I took away from this show, and what I would hope others take away from it (which is why I encourage people to watch it) is that people can be real assholes and if we all just stopped and thought about how our words or actions can hurt others, maybe together, we could make this world a better place to live. The thing is, so many people just turn a blind eye to so many of these things and the consequences of that can be so severe.
Lisa Jones says
I’ve heard a lot of negative comments on the show, but I still think it does a lot more good than bad. A lot of what they show is still a little tabboo among parents and teens and it gives us an oportunity to talk openly about it, which in turn, helps prevent scenarios like the one in the show..
Melissa says
I have as well, Lisa. Many are from people who haven’t seen it though. I mean, I get it, it is hard to watch some of those scenes but like you said, it does give us an opportunity to talk openly about the topics that are affecting teens. It’s not just about suicide, far from it actually and parents, teachers and teens need to know the things that really go on in high schools, so that they can be prepared for it/and or deal with it, should it happen to them or someone they know.
Lisa Brown says
Great post! I really loved 13 Reasons Why as well.